Moonight
by AirHawk19
Summary: Set a few months after 'A Father Should Be'. Jerrica finally finds another band to sign on with Starlight Music and gets far more than just a great new band. The Misfits get thrown out of Stinger Sound and find healing and true friendship in the least expected place. The Rio/Jerrica/Jem love triangle ends. Very sappy, more than a bit melodramatic, and written from a Christian view.
1. Chapter 1

** Disclaimer: I do not own Jem and the Holograms or any characters or materials taken from the cartoon series. No copyright infringement intended.**

** Author's note: The Fireheart family characters are my own original characters. More original characters may be introduced. Warning: chapter lengths may vary considerably. I finally decided to bite the bullet and repost this edited version. I will try to update daily but, no guarantees.**

Chapter 1: New Talent.

"I really like this one for the concert handbills. What do you think? Jerrica? Jerrica!" Kimber Benton called her older sister's attention back to the task at hand.

"What? Oh, sorry Kimber." Jerrica stammered as her attention snapped back to the present.

"What's got you so distracted?" Kimber asked.

"Jem and the Holograms are real popular and all, but we need more bands to sign on with Starlight Music if we want to keep both it and Starlight House going. I'm just trying to think of ways to find new bands. Sorry if I'm distracted." Jerrica grabbed the handbill samples and began looking at them intently.

Ever since Ba Nee had been reunited with her father and gone to live with him, Jerrica had thrown herself into her work to bury the grief and pain of losing the little girl, who, like all the Starlight Girls, had been like her own.

"You really need to relax every once in a while Jerrica and right now is one of those times."

"What makes you say that Kimber?"

"You're holding those handbill samples upside-down." said Kimber pointing.

Jerrica looked and sure enough she had the samples upside-down.

"I guess I'm a bit more distracted than I thought." Jerrica chuckled and righted the samples.

Just then Aja burst into Jerrica's office.

"Hey Jerrica! Look what I found!" she exclaimed waiving a flier above her head.

"What is it?" Jerrica asked laughing.

"A flier for a small concert at the Blue Moon Cafe. They've got a new, unknown band performing." said Aja handing Jerrica the flier.

Jerrica looked at the flier. It had the Blue Moon Cafe logo across the top, which was a pale blue full moon with the words 'Blue Moon Cafe' in bold, deep blue letters going across it like a comet. A color picture of the band in question filled most of the flier. It was a mixed band of five members: a male drummer, a male lead guitarist, a female base guitarist, a female keyboardist, and a female lead singer. They were all covered in black fur and dressed in loose fitting sleeveless shirts and pants that came down to the knees. They all had a friendly if slightly feral look about them, despite their beast-like appearance. The name of the band was below their picture along with the concert information.

"Hmmm. Moonlight. Appropriate, since they seem to be going for the werewolf look. Let's check them out tonight." said Jerrica setting the flier on her desk.

"Alright! I was hoping for some fun tonight!" Aja exclaimed.

"Outrageous!" Kimber added.

That night Jerrica, Kimber, Aja, Shana, and Raya were all seated at a good table near the stage. The band was about to come on and perform and the crowd was eager. The lights dimmed as fog poured onto the stage. Shadows appeared in the fog and a pale blue spotlight came on, softly illuminating the band. The music started and it was beautifully melodic. The lead singer's voice was beautiful and moving.

The crowd cheered and applauded like crazy after the first song! As soon as it had died down enough, the band performed several more songs. Afterwards they bowed out and vanished backstage.

"That's our cue girls." said Jerrica as she led the others backstage.

She knocked at the dressing room door.

"It's open." called a cheery voice from inside.

Jerrica opened the door and they all went in.

The five band members were seated at a table eating dinner and there was a sixth furry fellow with them.

"Oh, I thought you only had five members in your band." Jerrica said in a surprised tone.

"Oh, that's Dan. He writes our originals and is our general road manager. I'm Roarin Fireheart, lead singer. This is Ryan the drummer, Rex our lead guitar, Ally on the base, and Erin on keyboard. Rex, Ryan, and Ally are all siblings, Erin and Dan are brother and sister, and we're all paternal cousins. Oh, and we're Mutants, so we always look like this, with the fur and all, but where are my manners? Come, sit, make yourselves comfortable." Roarin gestured to the seats in the room.

Jerrica and her party sat down a bit uncomfortable. It is rather disconcerting to be in a room with a bunch of Mutants after all.

"I'm Jerrica Benton, I own Starlight Music. We currently feature Jem and the Holograms. They're the only band signed on with us and we're looking for more talent to sign on."

"Hmmm. You are the first company to offer us a contract. We'll have to discuss it as a family first." said Roarin.

"Of course. I'll leave this contract offer here with you so you can look it over and discuss it. Here's my business card. Let me know when you make your decision." Jerrica handed Roarin the contract offer.

"We'll let you know by tomorrow or the day after." Roarin said smiling a friendly smile as she took the papers.

"We'll let you get back to your meal." Jerrica and the others politely excused themselves and returned to Starlight Mansion.

After dinner, the Fireheart clan discussed Jerrica's contract offer.

"What do you guys think? We've been praying for an opportunity like this for a while. This could be really good for us." said Roarin as she leaned back in her chair, looking thoughtful.

"I don't know man. I kinda like the freedom of workin' our own time. We get tied up with a big music company and their gonna wanna tell us when to work, what to write, how to play, it'll take all the fun out of it." said Ryan slumping back in his chair.

"You always were the lazy one of the family Ryan. You just don't like the thought of deadlines and schedules." said Ally flashing a smile at her twin brother.

"To get back on topic, I think we should go for it. Starlight Music is a well respected company and Jem and the Holograms are a very popular band. Signing on with Starlight Music is the best business decision we can make." said Rex.

"I agree with Rex. We should sign on with Jerrica Benton. She has a reputation as an ethical business woman." said Erin as she cleared the table.

"What do you think Dan?" Roarin asked.

"Oh, my opinion doesn't matter." said the shy songwriter.

"Sure it does. You're part of the family. What you think matters to us." said Roarin slapping him on the shoulder.

"Well, what do you think Ally?" Dan asked.

"Your stalling, but I'll bite. I think we should go for it, Ryan needs a little more pressure to stop slackin' off. Your turn Dan." said Ally smiling at her shy cousin.

"Oh well, I guess I can't dodge again. I think Miss Benton is a nice young lady and a fair business woman. I think we should do it." said Dan.

"I guess that makes it official. We'll pay Miss Benton a visit tomorrow and sign the contracts." said Roarin looking at the business card.

The next day the Firehearts walked into Starlight Music for the meeting. The receptionist was made rather jumpy by their unusual looks.

"M-M-Miss B-B-B-Benton, the b-b-band M-Moonlight is here t-to s-see you." she stammered.

"Send them in." said Jerrica.

Roarin and the other band members walked into Jerrica's office with Dan in tow.

"I take it you've made your decision?" asked Jerrica, mentally bracing herself against disappointment.

"Yes. We have decided to accept your offer. We found your terms more than fair and we are very grateful for this opportunity." said Roarin.

"I'm very glad you decided to accept my offer. I'm sure we'll enjoy working together." said Jerrica as the Firehearts signed the contracts and handed them to her. "Where do you live? I need a phone number and an address so I can contact you." she said.

"We don't have a set address because we live out of our bus when we don't have a gig." Roarin said nonchalantly.

"Well, we have plenty of space at Starlight Mansion. I insist you all move in with us." said Jerrica.

"Isn't that your foster home for girls as well? Are you sure we wouldn't be in the way?" Roarin asked.

"I'm sure. The girls will get used to you and you can help if it makes you feel better." said Jerrica.

"Thank you. You have no idea what this means to us." Roarin shook hands with Jerrica, being careful not to accidentally crush her hand or scratch her in the excitement of the moment.

"You're welcome. Let's go home."

They soon arrived at Starlight Mansion. At first the smaller girls were rather apprehensive about the furry, beast-like Mutants, but Deirdre, Ashley, and Krissie took to them at once. They were soon chattering and asking all kinds of questions. In no time at all, all the Starlight Girls were gathered 'round asking questions or running their hands through the Mutants' soft fur.

Through it all, Roarin, Rex, Ryan, Ally, Erin, and Dan were having a blast! Usually kids were scared of them or their parents were. This, being surrounded by happy, rambunctious children who were not afraid, was wonderful! They all loved kids and were perfectly content to let them chatter away and run their small hands through their fur. Jerrica however, was determined to restore order before things got too out of hand.

"Alright girls, let's give our new tenants some room to breathe. You'll have plenty of opportunities to talk to them, but right now they need to settle in and have some lunch. I'm sure they're getting hungry by now." said Jerrica smiling.

"Aww." came the collective sigh from the girls.

"It's alright girls. We'll be living here, so we'll all have plenty of time to talk and get to know each other better. Miss Jerrica's a pretty smart lady, I know I could sure go for some lunch and I know the rest of my crew is hungry too, but I think we'll unpack first." Roarin said laughing and gently setting Terri down, who had been perched on her shoulders and running her small hands through Roarin's thick black mane.

"Let us help!" Deirdre said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, then it won't take as long!" Ashley chimed in.

"Girls, girls! Aren't you forgetting you all have school projects you need to be working on?" Jerrica reminded them.

"Aww, Jerrica."

"Now young ladies." was the firm yet gentle reminder.

"Yeah girls, you need to focus on your schoolwork. My cousins and I never had the opportunity to attend school because we're Mutants and there was a lot more prejudice against Mutants back then. You're lucky that you have teachers to help you learn and don't have to teach yourselves, it's a heck of a lot easier. It may not seem like it at the moment, but one day you'll look back and be glad you had people in your lives willing to teach you." Roarin said looking grave and serious.

"Ok. Sorry we complained Jerrica." said the girls as they quietly resumed their schoolwork.

"I didn't know you were self-taught. It must have been hard for you." said Jerrica as she led Roarin and the others to their rooms.

"It was, but it was really the fact that we were alone and parentless that was the hardest to bear. Fortunately, my mother had taught me and my cousins until her death. She died when I was 7 in a fire. After that, it was just me and the others. Rex, being only a year younger than me and the oldest boy, took on the role of father for us and I took on the role of mother. Ally and Ryan are twins and they were five at the time, Erin was the same age and Dan was four, so at least we didn't have to worry about diapers." Roarin chuckled.

"But still, all of you losing your homes and parents, I couldn't even begin to imagine what you must have gone through. And I thought losing my mother at twelve was hard." Jerrica felt very sympathetic towards Roarin and her cousins.

"It was. Losing a parent is always hard, no matter what your age. But you forget, we're Mutants, we have powers that helped us survive and we had God and each other, even if we did often feel alone." Roarin said placing a strong, furry hand on Jerrica's shoulder.

Soon the Fireheart clan were all unpacked and settled in. An hour later, after they had been welcomed by Mrs. Bailey, toured the mansion, and had something to eat, Moonlight showed up right on time for their first recording session and were greeted by Jem and the Holograms, who also had a recording session at the Starlight Music recording studio.

"Welcome to Starlight Music. I'm Jem and these are the Holograms. I'm glad Jerrica found another band to sign on. Now Starlight Music has a slightly broader selection. I hear you're a Christian band. That's cool. None of us have ever met a Christian group before." Jem seemed quite talkative.

"You can relax Jerrica, we know it's you." Roarin grinned as Jem looked shocked.

"How did you know?" Jerrica asked as she deactivated the hologram.

"The nose knows. That's the trouble of working with Mutants that have noses better than bloodhounds. You can disguise your appearance and even your voice, but you cannot change your sent." said Rex.

"It's ok. Your secret's safe with us. We understand that you want to keep your personal life personal." Ally said putting a hand on Jerrica's shoulder.

"I believe you. I don't know how, but I can just tell that your word once given will never be broken." Jerrica turned the Jem hologram back on and said, "But right now, we have work to do."

"You guys start recording first." said Aja as Rio arrived and took his place in the control room.

"But first, let me introduce you all to Rio." said Jem as she turned and called out, "Rio! Come meet the new band Jerrica signed on!"

Rio walked in and said, "Hi. I'm Rio Pacheco, sound engineer for Starlight Music, road manager for Jem and the Holograms, and boyfriend of Jerrica Benton."

"Pleased to meet you Rio. I'm Roarin, this is Rex, Ryan, Ally, Erin, and Dan. We're the Fireheart clan, or what's left of it. Dan's our song writer/road manager, the rest of us formed the band Moonlight." Roarin shook Rio's hand, being careful not to let her claws scratch him.

"The pleasure's all mine. We'd better get to work." Rio got back in the control room and turned the recording equipment on.

"Alright. Let's start with 'Let The Healing Come'. Start us off Erin." said Roarin taking her place behind the mic.

_He smiles and says it's alright,  
But his eyes belie the pain,  
The scars he tries to hide from everyone.  
But somewhere in the distance,  
He hears these words so true,  
Open up and let the healing come._

_ I know your heart is heavy,  
And things just seem so dark,  
But I tell you there is healing for the heart.  
For God so loved this broken world,  
He gave Himself for us,  
So open up and let the healing come._

_ She hides up in her bedroom,  
Alone with her tears,  
The tears she never lets her family see.  
But in the pain and sadness,  
She hears these words of hope,  
Open up and let the healing come._

_ I know your heart is heavy,  
And things just seem so dark,  
But I tell you there is healing for the heart.  
For God so loved this broken world,  
He gave Himself for us,  
So open up and let the healing come._

_ Just open up and let the healing come._

Aja sniffed and blinked her eyes for the song was very moving. She felt a hand on her shoulder and found she wasn't the only one with tears in her eyes. Shana was crying too and so were Raya and Kimber.

Jem wiped a tear or two from her own eyes as she said, "That was beautiful. And what's even more amazing, is you all have the faith to back it up. You really believe what you sing."

"Yeah, we really do." said Roarin putting one arm around Rex and the other around Ally.

As Rio wiped his own eyes, he wondered at this family of Mutants. They were so different in appearance that people would either make fun of them or be afraid of them, yet they still had this sense of hope, peace, and love. He shook himself a little and focused on what he was doing.

A few hours later, Moonlight wrapped up their session.

"That was great guys! We have a concert coming up in a few weeks, how would you like to be our special guest act?" Jem asked.

"Well? What do you guys think?" Roarin asked looking from one astonished Fireheart face to another.

"I'd say their faces speak for them." Jem laughed.

"I think you're right. We'll do it. Any objections?" Roarin asked.

"No way! Of course we'll do it!" was the resounding answer.

"That settles it. Meet here tomorrow for rehearsals." said Jem as she and the Holograms tuned up.

"See you later." Roarin, Rex, Ryan, Ally, Erin, and Dan waived goodbye as they left for Starlight Mansion.

For the next few weeks the mansion was abuzz with excitement over the upcoming concert. All the Firehearts were nervous and excited, they had never done anything like this before. Rehearsals went smoothly and both bands were in excellent condition. After three weeks of fussing over wardrobe and music the big day finally arrived!

The stadium was jam packed. As Ally peeked out from behind the curtain she could hardly keep her composure. All her life she had dreamed of this moment, of performing on stage with her brothers and cousins in front of a huge audience, but being in concert with Jem and the Holograms? It was far beyond her wildest dreams! She started a little as she felt a strong, familiar hand on her shoulder.

"Full house tonight. Are you nervous little sis?" Rex asked smiling at his younger sister, the same calm confidence as always in his golden eyes.

"A little. How come you're not?" Ally asked.

"Actually, I'm a little nervous too." Rex said giving his sister a little hug.

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better are you?" Ally asked, suspicion of her older brother showing in her big brown eyes.

Rex laughed, "I've been playing father to you and the others for so long, I've gotten pretty good at concealing my negative emotions. But I assure you I am nervous. Who wouldn't be? This is the biggest night of our lives."

"Roarin isn't nervous." Ally said looking over at her cousin, who was chatting with Jem and helping her with her hair.

"That just goes to show you don't know how to read her as well as I do. She might not look nervous, but she is. She's been a mother to all of us so long, she's gotten real good at hiding any negative emotions so she could comfort and reassure the rest of us." said Rex looking at his cousin lovingly.

"Come on guys! It's showtime!" said Roarin beaming with energy.

Jem and the Holograms made their entrance while Moonlight waited patiently backstage to be introduced.

After Jem and the Holograms finished playing their last number, 'Music Is Magic', Jem said, "Thank you everyone for coming to our concert. We have a very special guest performance tonight. A new, never before seen band. Give it up for Moonlight!"

"That's our cue!" Roarin said as she and the rest of the band made their entrance.

The crowd cheered loudly as Moonlight got ready for their first number, 'He Gave Himself For You'.

_ I look out at the sunrise,  
It's a beautiful day,  
And as I look I'm reminded,  
Of a far more glorious day._

_ Behold! The Lamb of God!  
Has risen from the tomb!  
In His great, great love,  
He Gave Himself for you,  
Yeah, He Gave Himself for you._

_ Oh, ye who are tired and weary,  
Come rest in the Savior's love.  
His healing is freely given,  
He'll accept you as you are._

_ Behold! The Lamb of God!  
Has risen from the tomb!  
In His great, great love,  
He gave Himself for you,  
Yeah, He gave Himself for you._

The crowd went wild! If they had been loud after Jem and the Holograms' performance, they were deafening after Moonlight's.

"Wow! They really like your music. Your album is sure to be a hit!" said Jem as the members of Moonlight stretched and put their gear away.

"Yep. And the Starlight Foundation will get all the proceeds. If the album does well, you should be set for a year at least." said Roarin as she stretched her spine with a satisfying crack.

"You don't have to give up your share of the profits like that. Jerrica will make plenty of money as your manager." said Jem.

"Think of it as payment for our room and board if it makes you feel better." said Roarin with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

Jem laughed saying, "When you put it that way, I guess I have no choice."

Rio walked in a few moments later saying, "Great concert! I've never seen a crowd more excited than this one. You guys really have some great inspirational music. I'm glad Jerrica signed you on, even if you do look a little freaky."

"Be nice Rio. Roarin and her cousins can't help being born with fur, fangs, and claws." said Jem, playfully chucking Rio in the chin.

"Hey!" said Rio, rubbing his chin and laughing.

"Come on guys, let's go home. I'm tired and I want to leave before I'm too dangerous to drive." Roarin said yawning.

"Yes, let's go home." Jem agreed.

Soon Rio had dropped Jem and the Holograms off at the mansion and Roarin pulled up in Moonlight's bus. As Rio drove to his own home he thought about the concert and what a success Moonlight turned out to be.

_'I'm glad Jerrica found such a great band, but more than all that, it's good for her to have the extra help around Starlight Mansion. Moonlight's more than just a great band, they're a great family.'_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Part of the Family: or Confessions.

Jerrica was sitting on her bed trying to regain her composure. It had been a hard day. Rio had been asking for Jem all day, Kimber was suffering from a severe case of writer's block and their new album was due in a month and they still needed at least two more songs, and they had an appearance on the Lin-Z show tomorrow night, not to mention the mountain of paperwork sitting on her desk at the office… AGH! She wanted to rip her hair out, she was so stressed!

There was a knock on her door.

"Who's there?" she asked, trying to keep the edge out of her voice.

"It's Roarin." the young Mutant woman entered and closed the door behind her.

She walked over and sat down on the bed next to Jerrica. Jerrica instinctively scooted closer and put her arms around Roarin, laying her head on the strong furry shoulder. Roarin put her strong furry arms around Jerrica and pulled her close.

As Jerrica buried her face in Roarin's thick black fur, she took a deep breath. The musky sent of Roarin's fur was familiar and comforting, like an old teddy bear. Roarin always knew when she was stressed out or upset or just needed a shoulder to lean on. And she was always there, ready to comfort and be confided in.

"Thanks. I needed a Roarin hug." said Jerrica snuggling closer to Roarin.

"That's what I'm here for. You need to tell Rio the truth Jerrica, you can't keep up this deception. It's tearing you apart." said Roarin, stroking Jerrica's head, gently pushing her blond hair out of her face.

Jerrica sighed. They'd had this conversation before and deep down inside, she knew Roarin was right. This deception was tearing her up inside and sometimes she felt like she was going insane! She wanted to tell Rio, but she was afraid of losing him.

When she was silent, Roarin continued, "Jerrica, the way I see it, you have two choices, you can either tell Rio the truth and risk losing him or you can continue this charade and lose him for sure. He loves you Jerrica and he wants to marry you. How do you think you're gonna keep this secret when you're married and have kids?"

Roarin's sudden do-or-die attitude surprised Jerrica and scared her a little.

"Roarin, you really believe that if I don't tell Rio I'll lose him?" she asked releasing Roarin and looking deep into her eyes for any hint of joking.

Roarin returned her gaze and nodded yes. The look in her ruby red eyes was so solemn that Jerrica had no doubts about her sincerity.

She sighed. "You're right, it's time to end this deception. All I can do is pray that he'll listen and forgive me." Jerrica stood to leave, but Roarin held her back a moment.

"Jerrica, I can't pretend to know what will happen, so I'm not going to promise that everything will be ok. I know Rio hates deception, as well he should, but I also know that he truly loves you, so I think that given time, he will one day come to forgive you."

"Thanks Roarin. You've given me the courage to finally do the right thing. I owe it to Rio and even if he never forgives me, at least I finally did the right thing." Jerrica left to find Rio with a heavy heart.

"Hi, Jerrica. You had me a little worried there, you ran off so suddenly when I asked you where Jem was half an hour ago… Hey, are you alright?" Rio asked as he took Jerrica in his arms.

_'Don't you dare back out now Jerrica Benton. You promised you'd do the right thing and you're gonna keep that promise.'_ she told herself. "Um, Rio, can I talk to you alone for a minute?" she asked aloud.

"Sure. You can talk to me anytime Jerrica, all you have to do is ask." said Rio as he sat down on the sofa in a private room.

Jerrica closed and locked the door. She didn't want any interruptions. She took a deep breath and stood in front of Rio, feeling like a kid about to confess she did something wrong.

"What's bothering you Jerrica? You have that same look on your face you used to get when you were about to ''fess up', as we used to say when we were kids." said Rio chuckling at his own joke.

Jerrica wasn't laughing. "Rio, I have a confession to make and it's long over due, but before I say anything, promise me you'll hear me out no matter what."

"You're serious. Alright, I promise. What do you want to tell me?"

"Rio, I'm Jem. I took on the persona in order to save Starlight Music and Starlight House and to stop Eric Raymond. I wanted to tell you, but then the Misfits ran us off the road and I had to use Synergy to…"

"Who or what is Synergy?"

"I'll show you." Jerrica led Rio to Synergy's room.

"You kept all this a secret from me all this time? Why?" Rio was shocked and hurt.

"Rio, please, let me finish. My father created Synergy, she was his final gift to me, Kimber, Aja, and Shana along with the Rockin' Roadster and enough equipment to start Jem and the Holograms. Like I said, I wanted to tell you, but then things got out of hand and just snowballed out of control and the longer I waited to tell you the harder it got. Oh, Rio! I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am for keeping this a secret and if you never forgive me, I understand. I deserve it." Tears were streaming down Jerrica's face now and she turned her face away from Rio.

"You know what the funny thing about forgiveness is? It always goes to those who don't deserve it, that's why it's called forgiveness." To Jerrica's surprise, Rio put his arms around her and held her close.

"Rio, I thought you'd be mad."

"I am a little and I'm hurt that you kept this a secret from me for the past three years, but I love you Jerrica and I understand why you kept it a secret. Synergy is a very powerful computer and in the wrong hands, a very dangerous weapon. As long as I had no knowledge of her I had deniability, but now that I know about her I will protect her secret with my life and help you to bear the burden of being Jem." he said softly.

"Thanks Rio. You don't know how much that means to me." Jerrica kissed Rio and held him close.

"Hold on there, I'm still mad at you and need some time alone." Rio let go of Jerrica and headed for the door.

"Alright Rio. I'm very sorry."

"I know Jerrica. Don't worry, my temper will blow over soon enough." Rio left feeling a whirlwind of emotions inside his chest.

On the one hand he was angry with Jerrica for keeping this secret and on the other he was glad, but he also felt betrayed and made a fool of, but at the same time he knew Jerrica had never meant to hurt him.

_'Still, she should have told me! She had no right to string me along like that, making me feel guilty for chasing Jem, while all the time they were one in the same! But how could she tell me? She knows how much I hate deception and after using Synergy to get my attention to save their lives, how was she supposed to explain that? Still, how could she let me feel so guilty, like I was cheating on her when I was with Jem? I didn't know they were the same person. Or maybe I did.'_

The more Rio thought about it, the more he realized that he had known, somewhere deep down inside that Jem and Jerrica were one in the same. No matter what, Jerrica's underlying, inner beauty always shone through. Her compassion, kindness, caring, and even her responsibility were always there.

_'Jerrica may have deceived me and hurt me, but I know beyond a doubt that she loves me and never meant for things to happen like this. The funny thing about forgiveness is it always goes to the undeserving and sets the forgiver free. Roarin, you were right, I do feel as though I've been set free.'_ Rio went home with a light heart and a song on his lips.

Jerrica meanwhile, was upset for the rest of the day. She knew Rio had forgiven her, but she felt awful that she had deceived and hurt him. She wished with all her heart that she had never let her fear get in the way. Aja walked into the room and sat down beside her.

"Roarin told me what happened. So, you finally told Rio. How did he take it?" she asked putting an arm around Jerrica.

"He forgave me, but he's still mad at me for deceiving him." said Jerrica with a sigh that would have melted a heart of stone.

"Can you blame him? You know how Rio is about this kind of thing, but the important thing is he forgave you. Don't worry, he'll come around in time." Aja gave Jerrica a hug.

"I know, but it still hurts."

"There has to be pain before there can be healing. Don't give in to despair Jerrica, this is just the dark before the dawn." Roarin sat beside Jerrica and placed a hand on her shoulder.

In a sudden fit of rage, Jerrica suddenly slapped her across the face.

"How dare you lecture me Roarin Fireheart! Get out of this house! Get out!" she shouted angrily.

"Jerrica! What is wrong with you?" Aja was shocked that her friend could be so unfair.

"It's alright Aja. Jerrica is in pain and not to blame. My cousins and I will return to our former way of living. Goodbye, Jerrica Benton. May God bless you and keep you." Roain said with a kind, compassionate, forgiving look.

She knew Jerrica was just angry and in pain and that she would regret her words and actions. Roarin felt sorry for her and wanted to comfort her, but knew that Jerrica needed space and time. Roarin and her family were gone within the hour.

"I can't believe you could be so cruel Jerrica Benton! It would serve you right if Roarin and her cousins had decided to rip you apart!" Aja exclaimed standing up and leaving the room.

By then Jerrica's rage had passed and she held her head in her hands saying, "What have I done?"

That night Jerrica couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned and just couldn't find a comfortable resting position; her bed felt like it was full of rocks and pins. Eventually, she gave up and just got out of bed. She walked to her window and opened it, feeling the cool night breeze on her face. She still couldn't believe that she could be so cruel and unjust to Roarin, after all, she was the one who always knew what to do when one of the girls was scared and Jerrica was at a loss and she was always there to lend a helping hand, a listening ear, a comforting hug. Ally and Ryan were always ready to entertain the girls and take them places if she was busy and Erin was always ready to nurse them when they were sick. Dan would always help her with paperwork if she was tired or stressed and Rex was like a father, always protecting, always guiding, always loving. All of them were always loving, no matter what, they always loved and cared for everyone, and they always forgave.

Jerrica felt worse than ever. "Oh, Roarin! How could I be so cruel? It would serve me right if you never came back, but I need you. We all need you, you're all part of the family." Jerrica leaned on the windowsill crying her eyes out.

Suddenly, she heard Kimber's voice singing,

_Forgiveness, is a wonderful thing,  
It reaches beyond the widest sea.  
No matter what you've done,  
It heals the heart and sets the captive free._

_ Don't be ashamed,  
The pain won't last forever,  
And healing's just three simple words away.  
What might be these words you ask?  
I will tell you now.  
These simple words are, I forgive you._

_ You hide alone behind your shame,  
But hear me say it's not to late.  
You can still be healed today,  
By the power of His unfailing grace._

_ Don't be ashamed,  
The pain won't last forever,  
And healing's just three simple words away.  
What might be these words you ask?  
I will tell you now.  
These simple words are, I forgive you._

_ These three simple words are, I forgive you._

"It's called 'I Forgive You'. It was the last song Dan wrote before they left. I found it on his nightstand." said Kimber as she walked over and rubbed her sister's back.

"Did you write the tune?" Jerrica asked as she looked up and dried her bloodshot eyes.

"No. Roarin did. I just learned it."

"Well it makes me feel even more like a jerk. I almost wish they had killed me, it hurts so much." Jerrica sat down on her bed holding her head in her hands.

"Don't talk like that sis. They meant for that song to give you hope and to say that they forgive you." said Kimber sitting beside her sister.

"I know, but I can't forgive myself." Jerrica threw herself back onto her mattress.

Just then, Aja, Shana, and Raya came into the room. They all gathered around Jerrica on the bed.

Aja was the first to speak. "Jerrica, I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier. It was wrong of me."

"It's ok. I deserve worse." said Jerrica, hating herself for giving into anger.

"It's not ok. You're upset about Rio, you weren't thinking." said Aja trying to talk some sense into her adopted sister.

"Aja's right. You have to let go and let the healing come, like Moonlight says in their song." said Shana, putting her hand on Jerrica's shoulder.

"How could I have given in to rage like that? How could I have been so unjust?" Jerrica started crying again, putting her head on Shana's knee.

"Jerrica, beating yourself up like this is not going to bring Roarin, Rex, Ally, Ryan, Erin, and Dan back, but Jem and the Holograms might." said Raya with a knowing look in her eyes.

Jerrica stopped crying and sat up. "What do you mean Raya?" she asked drying her eyes.

"Don't we have an interview on the Lin-Z show tonight?"

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that!" Jerrica got up from the bed, her tears forgotten and her mind racing to think of what to say on Lindsey's show that night.

"I hate to rain on your parade, but it's 3 o'clock in the morning. Unless you want to be tired for the interview, I suggest we all try to get some sleep." said Shana getting up and stretching.

"You guys get some sleep, I have an apology speech to write and I don't think I could sleep anyway." said Jerrica wishing her sisters goodnight.

The next morning, Rio walked into Jerrica's room to find her asleep with her head pillowed on her arms on her desk. He walked over and began gently massaging her shoulders.

"Hmmm, that feels good Rio." she said yawning and looking up at him.

"I didn't mean to wake you, I just came by to say I'm sorry." Rio looked very sad.

"Why should you be sorry? I'm the one that slapped Roarin and banished the Firehearts from Starlight Mansion." said Jerrica.

"If I had only come over the minute my temper blew over, none of this would have happened." Rio looked miserable.

"You don't know that and there's nothing we can do to change it, but I'm going to get them back Rio. Jem and the Holograms have an interview on the Lindsey Pierce show and I wrote this apology speech for the occasion." Jerrica handed Rio the speech.

"Simple, to the point, and from the heart. I have no doubt that they'll come back when they hear this." Rio said handing the speech back.

"I just hope they're watching." said Jerrica as she put it away and started getting ready.

"I'll see you later today. Jerrica, I'm glad you finally told me about Synergy and all the other stuff. I'm sorry I got mad about it."

"Rio, I'm the one who should be sorry, the blame is mine alone. But I'm glad you know. It puts things the way they should be."

"Yeah, well, I'd better head over to Starlight Music and start mixing your new album."

Rio left and Jerrica felt that everything was going to be ok.

That night on the Lin-Z show...

"So Jem, when is your next album coming out?" Lindsey asked.

"If everything goes well, it should be out next month."

"I hear you work pretty closely with new music sensation Moonlight. Any word on when they'll be releasing their first album?"

"Unfortunately, Moonlight is no longer at Starlight Music due to a misunderstanding. I have here an apology speech written by Jerrica Benton. She couldn't be with us tonight, so she asked me to read it in her stead." Jem began, "Roarin, Rex, Ryan, Ally, Erin, and Dan, I am very sorry for the way I behaved last night. It was wrong and unjust. You are all sorely missed and we want you all to come back. You're part of the family and we need you. Please accept my heartfelt apology, I care for all of you very much."

"That was beautiful. Now I have a surprise for you. Come on out here Firehearts!" said Lindsey.

Jem, Shana, Aja, Kimber, and Raya were surprised as Roarin, Ryan, Rex, Erin, Ally, and Dan all walked on and sat on the couch opposite them.

"So Roarin, what's your response to Jerrica Benton's apology speech as read by Jem?" Lindsey asked.

"We all forgave Jerrica long ago. Of course we'll come back." said Roarin.

"Well, now that you're back, when is your album coming out?"

"We still have to record the last song, but it should be out about the same time as Jem and the Holograms'."

"Would you mind singing this last song for us?"

"If Jem and the Holograms will sing it with us" said Roarin looking expectantly at Jem.

"Of course we will." said Jem.

"This is a song about forgiveness. It's called, 'I Forgive You'." said Roarin as Kimber and Erin started everyone off.

After the song Lindsey was crying. "That was beautiful. You really are an amazing group. Well, there you have it folks, Moonlight is back to stay. I'm Lindsey Pierce saying goodnight and see you next time."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Past Reflections.

Things quieted down at Starlight Music after the release of the albums. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after the work was done and with the lull, everyone had time to pause and reflect on recent events and events long passed.

_ It was raining and she looked for someplace, anyplace, where they could get out of the downpour. She spotted a rundown warehouse and steered her younger cousins in that direction. It wasn't much to look at, but at least the structure offered protection from the elements._

_ "Roarin, I'm hungry." Six year old Dan curled up against his older cousin, clutching his stomach in pain._

_ "I know kiddo. We all are. Try to get some sleep." said Roarin putting an arm around him and holding him close._

_ Her own stomach was knotted up and she'd thrown up bile an hour ago from not having eaten in a week. She knew her family needed food and soon. She could endure it; being Mutants she and her cousins could go for a couple months without food, but they were kids, they needed to eat. She turned and looked at her cousin Rex, his golden eyes locking with her ruby ones. Ever since Roarin's mother, who had cared for all six of them ever since they could remember, had died two years ago in a fire, Roarin and Rex had taken on the roll of parents for the four younger Firehearts. They did their best, but it wasn't easy living on the streets, even with their powers._

_ "Rex, I'm going to get food. Watch the others." said Roarin standing._

_ Rex nodded and held Dan as Roarin vanished into the rain._

"Roarin, you ok?"

Roarin snapped out of her remembrance.

"Kimber, you startled me." she said rubbing her forehead.

The younger Benton sister sat on the couch beside her. "Sorry. You were completely zonked out. What's eating you?"

"Oh, just ghosts of the past." Roarin stood and headed into the kitchen to help Mrs. Bailey fix dinner.

Midnight at the Gabor mansion...

_ She could hear the gunshots coming closer as she huddled under her bed. She heard her parents scream in the living room as bullets shattered the windows._

_ After several hours she slowly uncurled and crawled out from under the bed. Her eyes were met with horror as she saw her mom and dad lying on the living room floor in a huge pool of blood, their bodies riddled with bullet holes._

_ "Mommy? Daddy? Wake up! Please wake up!" she shrieked as she stood there frozen with terror._

Roxy screamed as she woke up and fell out of bed, taking a face plant to the floor. She curled up into a ball crying, sobbing uncontrollably. This was the second time she'd had the nightmare in as many nights.

"Roxy, what the heck! I'm trying to sleep… Roxy? What's wrong?" Pizzazz was shocked to find her tough-as-nails band mate curled up on the floor, crying like a terrified child.

She knelt beside her and gently got her up into a sitting position.

"Hey, hey, calm down will ya?" Pizzazz held Roxy, gently stroking her platinum blond hair, trying to calm the distraught woman.

After a few minutes Roxy's sobs quieted down and she just held onto Pizzazz like she was her life line. Pizzazz was rather shaken by the whole ordeal, but simply held Roxy until she was able to compose herself.

"Pizzazz, I didn't know you cared." said Roxy trying to sound sarcastic and failing utterly.

"What the heck happened Roxy? Between that shriek you gave, the loud thump, and finding you curled up on the floor crying like a baby, I don't know what scared me more!" Pizzazz sounded angry, but she didn't deal with emotional moments or people very well.

"I've been having nightmares about the day my parents were killed in a drive by shooting. I was 9 at the time and I've been on my own ever since." Roxy felt the old emotional wounds reopen and start to bleed.

"When did it happen?" Pizzazz asked.

"It'll be the anniversary of their death tomorrow. The nightmares started the other night."

"You gonna be ok? You're not gonna decide to take a high-dive out the window are you?"

Roxy actually laughed. "No, I like living too much to be suicidal. It's not the first time I've had these nightmares. I'll be fine."

"Good. Now I need to get some sleep." Pizzazz got up and headed for the door.

"Hey, Pizzazz."

"What?"

"Sorry I woke you. And thanks." Roxy crawled back into bed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The door closed behind Pizzazz and her footsteps faded down the hallway.

Back in her own room, Pizzazz had her own flashback.

_It was a sunny morning as 5 year old Phyllis ran down the stairs of the Gabor family mansion._

_ "Good morning Mommy!" she exclaimed cheerfully, not really looking as she skipped into the kitchen._

_ When she looked up she saw her father sitting at the table looking sad. Her mother was nowhere in sight. Phyllis walked over to her father and stood next to him._

_ "Where's Mommy, Daddy?" she asked, looking up at him with her soft green eyes._

_ Harvey Gabor looked at his little daughter and sighed. "Mommy left, sweetie." he said, putting a hand on her shoulder._

_ "When is she coming back?" Phyllis asked, tears starting to form in her eyes._

_ "Phyllis, honey, Mommy's not coming back." Mr. Gabor didn't know what else to say._

_ Phyllis started crying and ran to her room. She locked herself in and threw herself onto her bed, crying her eyes out._

Pizzazz walked over to her dresser and picked up a photograph. It was of her and her mother, taken when she was 4. She was on the swing in the back yard and her mother was pushing her. They looked happy. Pizzazz set the photo down and walked over to her bed. She sat down and sighed, holding her head in her hands. Even though her mother hadn't exactly been the nurturing type, she and Phyllis had been close. To Phyllis, her mother had been the sunshine in her world, when she was gone it was like someone had ripped out a piece of her heart.

With her mother gone and her father being a workaholic, Phyllis had no one to help her deal with her emotions or give her the true love and affection her young heart starved for. So she found vent in translating all the hurt, pain, and loneliness into anger, hence her temper tantrums, that she continued to throw even now at the age of 24. It was also the reason she started the Misfits and was the real inspiration for the name. She just wanted to be loved but felt like she didn't belong. She'd felt like a 'Misfit' all her life.

"It was 19 years ago today. Mommy, why did you leave?" Phyllis sighed and crawled under the covers, crying silent tears.

Meanwhile in a suburban neighborhood, Stormer was reliving part of her own past.

_She awoke to find her brother Craig shaking her. He looked scared and told her to get dressed and come down quickly. When she got down stairs there were two police officers in the living room and a police car in the drive way._

_ "What's going on Craig? Where are Mom and Dad?" she asked._

_ "Mary, your parents were killed in a car crash a few hours ago. Do you understand what that means?" one of the officers asked._

_ Mary nodded, feeling a lump in her throat and tears in her eyes._

_ "Come on Mary, we have to go identify them." said Craig as he put an arm around his kid sister's shoulders._

_ In the morgue Mary shivered as the sheets were pulled back revealing…_

Stormer jolted awake and sat up in bed, sweating and breathing heavily. She hugged her knees for a minute or two, then swung her legs over the side of her bed and got up. She went into the kitchen and made herself some tea. As she sat at the kitchen table sipping it, she remembered that night, the night she and her brother had become orphans. Craig had taken care of her until she graduated high school when she was almost 17, then he went to Europe. Mary joined the Misfits a year later.

The next day at Starlight Mansion there was excitement in the air. Moonlight's album was a hit and they were scheduled for a big concert along with Jem and the Holograms! Only one thing slightly dampened the high spirits, the Misfits would be there. True they had called a truce at Ba Nee's going away party, but they pretty much resumed their rivalry, all be it with a lot less fire, afterwards.

"Oh well, guys. All we can do is pack our 'in case of disaster' gear and do our best at the concert." said Ally, getting a laugh out of everyone.

Only Roarin didn't seem at all concerned about the Misfits. "I don't think the Misfits will cause trouble. Or at least not much." she said, leaning back in her chair.

"You don't know the Misfits Roarin." said Aja.

"I know two of them. Stormer and Roxy."

"What?! How do you know Roxy?" several people exclaimed at once.

"Me and the rest of the gang met Roxy when we were teenagers and helped her out a little."

"Well, I guess we'll find out if the Misfits are going to be trouble at the concert." said Aja as she went upstairs to finish packing.

A few days later all three bands met as they boarded the ship that would take them to the island where the concert was being held.

"Outta the way losers!" said Pizzazz as she pushed her way past the Starlight Music bands, almost knocking Erin over.

"Righto Yanks!" said Jetta knocking her suitcase into Rex.

"Yeah! Watch were you're goin' freaks!" said Roxy.

"Not gonna cause any trouble, eh?" Shana commented as the Misfits continued to their cabin.

"They haven't done anything yet." Roarin reminded her.

After they had all settled into their cabins, the groups went to explore the ship's activities. Roarin found the Misfits by the pool and saw Roxy get up to get a drink. She walked over and tapped her on the shoulder.

Roxy spun around and asked, "Whaddaya want freak?"

"Have you forgotten the 'freak' who made your life at least a little less miserable Roxanne Pelligrini?" Roarin asked smiling, looking strait into Roxy's brown eyes.

As Roxy looked into Roarin's ruby eyes, she suddenly remembered.

_It was a dark night and there was a steady dripping rain. She was cold, wet, tired, and hungry. As she walked along the muddy street she looked for a place to shelter for the night. She had hitchhiked from Philadelphia to the small town of Green Brook Oklahoma. The trip had taken about five days and in all that time she'd had nothing to eat. Her stomach was in agony with intense hunger pangs as it gave voice to its wants. As she trudged down the street hugging her aching, empty belly, the sound of voices and the smell of food attracted her to a small pub. There was no one at the door to ask for I.D. so she went inside, at least she'd be out of the cold and the rain._

_ She stood in an inconspicuous corner of the warm room, just trying to dry off and warm up a little before moving on. She looked over at the bar to see a most unusual sight. A young Mutant girl covered in thick black fur that grew all over her body, not much older than herself was standing beside to bar with a bottle of unopened wine (because Mutants were physically incapable of getting drunk, the age laws didn't apply to them). She cleared her throat to make an announcement._

_ "My good people, I wager that I can drink wine from this bottle without disturbing cork or seal and without smashing the bottle. Anyone care to wager against me?" she said boldly._

_ Several men took the bet saying there was no way she could drink wine from a bottle without opening it. The girl simply smiled a friendly smile and, taking an opened bottle of wine, turned the unopened bottle upside down, poured the wine into the depression on the bottom, and drank it, thus fulfilling her word and winning the bet. There was quite a ruckus and a few of the men refused to pay saying she cheated._

_ She simply stated, "I said I would drink wine from the bottle without opening it. I didn't say I would drink the wine inside that bottle specifically."_

_ In the end the men had to agree and pay up. Roxanne was suddenly aware of the Mutant girl looking right at her._

_ She walked over and stuck out her clawed, furry hand saying, "Hi. Name's Roarin Fireheart. What's your's?"_

_ Roxanne was so surprised by this girls friendly attitude that she simply said, "Roxanne Pelligrini." and shook her hand._

_ "Pleased to meet you Roxanne Pelligrini. Say, I just got a good bundle from that wager, how 'bout me and my cousins treat you to a nice, hot meal?"_

_ Roxanne just nodded and followed Roarin to a table in a quiet corner of the pub, where five other fur covered Mutants were seated. They ordered their food and Roxanne wolfed down a large cheeseburger, fries, and two thick slabs of apple pie, all of which she washed down with two large Pepsis. Roarin and her clan had even bigger appetites, but everyone got their fill. It was the first really good meal any of them had had in a long time. Roxanne leaned back in her chair and belched loudly, slapping her now full belly. Roarin, Rex, Ally, Erin, Ryan, and Dan laughed and Roarin slapped her on the back, making her feel like part of the family._

"Roarin Fireheart? You and your family are Moonlight?" Roxy was stunned. She hadn't paid that close attention to Moonlight.

"Yep. I'm glad to see you're off the streets. You look much better than when we first met." Roarin put a hand on Roxy's shoulder.

"Yeah. Can we go someplace a little more private?" Roxy asked glancing over at her band mates. Fortunately, none of them were paying any attention to her.

"Sure. We can go to my cabin." The two went off to catch up without any, unfortunate interruptions.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Island of Truce.

In the privacy of the cabin Roarin shared with Erin and Ally, Roxy relaxed and told Roarin all about the Misfits and their misadventures.

"So, it sounds like you found a group of girls a lot like yourself Roxy." said Roarin leaning back in a chair.

"Hey! I'm nothin' like any of 'em. But, I'm worried that Pizzazz is planning on doing something real stupid and dangerous at the concert. You see, that egotistical weasel Riot took over Stinger Sound, threw Eric out, and gave us the boot. This is our last concert and knowing Pizzazz, if she can't stay in the limelight, she'll go out with a bang. I'm just worried it might be a literal bang." Roxy sighed and rubbed her temples.

"Why don't you sign on with Starlight Music? I'm sure Jerrica would be willing."

"Thanks but no thanks. We'd never convince Pizzazz, she'd sooner kiss a rattle snake. You and the rest of the gang haven't done too bad for yourselves." said Roxy changing the subject.

"Yeah, once we got to L.A. we found work and managed to buy a bus and some real music equipment, then we started playing in earnest. Jerrica found us and at once offered us a contract. So, here we are. A hit record, a major concert, and the whole world ahead of us." Roarin clasped her hands behind her head and closed her eyes.

"Yeah, well, I'd better get goin'. Pizzazz and the others are probably wondering were I am by now." said Roxy standing to leave.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to meet up with Ally and the rest of the gang, along with Jerrica and the others from Starlight Music. It was good talking to you Roxanne." said Roarin opening the door.

"Same here. Tell the others I said hi."

The two went their separate ways.

"Oh, there you are Roarin. We were wondering where you'd gotten to." said Jerrica as Roarin walked into the dining room.

"Yeah, what have you been up to girl?" Shana asked teasingly.

"I was talking to Roxy and before you all go off at me, I haven't seen her in almost eight years. She's really not as bad as she seems, it's really just an act to get attention and Pizzazz isn't exactly the best influence. The one thing the Misfits all have in common is that they're lonely, love starved girls, who feel like they don't belong." Roarin was serious.

"You're right, but what can we do? They shun all attempts to be friends." said Raya, who had a keen eye for this kind of thing.

"They're lost and confused, but I think they're about to reach the breaking point. I think after this concert, they'll be one step closer to understanding and healing." said Roarin with a distant look in her eyes. "But enough of that, let's just enjoy ourselves while we can." she said coming back to the present.

"I'll drink to that." said Rio raising his glass of cola.

Everyone had a good time on the cruise. Rio and Jerrica had made up and their relationship was richer and stronger than ever. As they were walking along the upper deck under the light of the stars, Rio led her to the prow of the ship and put his arm around her as they looked out over the waves, across the sea. Jerrica leaned her head on his shoulder, just enjoying the moment.

"It's a beautiful night." said Rio as he gazed up at the stars.

"Mmm hmm." Jerrica murmured as she followed his gaze.

The night sky was beautiful, the stars looking like silver dust scattered across the heavens. The first quarter moon was peeking over the horizon. Rio suddenly took both of Jerrica's hands in his and gazed lovingly into her eyes.

"Jerrica, I've waited a long time to do this, but…" he lowered to one knee and asked, "Jerrica Benton, will you marry me?" Rio held out a gold ring set with a single diamond as he said it.

"Oh, Rio! Of course I'll marry you! And it's high time you asked Mr. Pacheco, I was beginning to think I'd have to ask you myself." said Jerrica laughing as she accepted the ring.

"Now that would have been highly irregular, future Mrs. Pacheco." said Rio joining in the laugh as he placed the ring on her left ring finger.

The two kissed and made their way back to their cabins.

"Oh, isn't this all so romantic?" said Kimber as Jerrica announced her and Rio's engagement to the rest of the Holograms, who were gathered in the Benton sister's cabin.

"I'll say. Have you chosen your maid of honor yet Jerrica?" Aja asked with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, you'll all be my bride's maids and Kimber will be my maid of honor if she wants." said Jerrica laughing. "But right now, let's just focus on the concert. We dock tomorrow you know."

"Yes, yes, but it's not every day that someone gets engaged." said Raya.

"Yeah, well, I'm happy for you and all Jerrica, but I need to get some sleep before the big concert, and so do the rest of you." said Shana, suppressing a yawn.

"You're right Shana. We should all try and get some sleep. Goodnight girls." said Jerrica as Shana, Aja, and Raya left for their cabin.

"Goodnight sis and congratulations." said Kimber.

"Thanks Kimber. Goodnight." Jerrica turned out the lights and was soon dreaming of Rio and wedding plans.

The night of the concert, after talking with Rio about it, Jerrica had Synergy hide her ring while she performed as Jem. It would have raised too many uncomfortable questions.

The concert went smoothly for Jem and the Holograms' and Moonlight's performances, but Jem noticed Roarin and her cousins looking nervous as the Misfits prepared to go on. She glanced over and noticed Roxy and Stormer looked nervous. She looked closer and saw Pizzazz slip a remote detonator into her belt.

"Synergy, can you scan the area for explosives?" Jem whispered into her earring.

"Yes, Jerrica. Scanning now." A few minutes later, Synergy reported, "Jerrica, there are explosives under the stage. They are pyrotechnic devices, but they have been improperly installed. When Pizzazz activates them via the remote in her belt, she and the other Misfits could be seriously injured or killed. You must tell Roarin and the other Firehearts. Their super strength and healing powers make them the only ones who can save the Misfits."

"Thanks Synergy." Jem quickly told Roarin what Synergy had said.

Roarin, Rex, Ally, and Dan got into position, while Ryan and Erin got everyone who was backstage out. Fortunately, the stage was far enough away from the audience that they didn't have to worry about the fans being injured. Roarin took one look at the pyrotechnics and knew there was no way to disable them without setting them off. Sure enough, when Pizzazz detonated the fireworks, the stage erupted in fire. Roarin and her cousins dashed onto the stage and got the Misfits off before any of them were hurt. Just as Roarin was getting Pizzazz off the stage, it started to collapse. Roarin shoved Pizzazz off just in time, but the stage collapsed under her and she was buried in a pile of burning rubble.

"Roarin!" Roxy screamed as she tried to breakout of Ally's grip to help.

"Oh, dear." Stormer buried her face in Dan's fur.

"Oi! Let go a me Yank! We gotta 'elp 'er!" Jetta yelled as Rex calmly restrained her.

Pizzazz just looked on, frozen in shock and horror.

The fire department arrived and had the fire out in fifteen minutes. As they cleared away the debris, they heard a moan.

"Over here! We found her!" called a firefighter as they lifted a heavy beam off of Roarin's still form.

"She's breathing! She's alive!"

"Come on! Let's get her out of here!"

Soon Roarin was on a couch in the dressing room, her wounds rapidly healing before everyone's eyes. She soon opened her eyes and sat up slowly. Pizzazz could not contain herself any longer.

"You scared the living daylights out of me! Why did you have to go and be a hero anyway? You could have been killed!" she yelled.

"Actually, my indestructible skeleton and healing power prevents me from being killed, but it still hurts like the dickens." said Roarin rubbing the small of her back.

"I know. It's just, seeing you get buried under all that burning rubble… It freaked me out."

"Hold on there. Is this the same Pizzazz who tried to ruin our careers every chance she got?" asked Shana in disbelief.

"Who are you and what have you done with Pizzazz?" said Kimber jokingly.

"Ha ha, very funny Kimber Benton. For your information, this was the Misfits' last concert. That sleaze bag Riot gave us the boot. To be honest though, I'm tired, tired of all the pointless rivalry. I'm ready to call a truce for good. Can we, maybe, be friends?" Pizzazz asked.

"Of course Pizzazz. Why don't you come over to Starlight Mansion for a little while?" said Jem.

"You do realize I practically live next door right?" said Pizzazz crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Right. Well, feel free to come over anytime." said Jem.

"Thanks. I'll think about it." Pizzazz and the rest of the Misfits left for the ship.

On the way back they all got to know each other a little better. Everyone was shocked to see just how changed Pizzazz was. She was more docile and less fiery, but she seemed, tired and worn, she didn't smile any more. Jetta was in a state of silent shock as the reality of what had happened with the botched up fireworks sank in. Roxy was thoughtful and surprisingly insightful all of a sudden and Stormer had completely dropped her tough girl charade. Now that they saw the real Misfits, the reality of the name sank in and Jerrica, Kimber, Aja, Shana, and Rio finally saw what Raya, Roarin, Rex, Ally, Ryan, Erin, and Dan had seen all along; four lost, lonely girls who just wanted to be loved, but felt like they didn't fit in.

Roarin went over to Pizzazz and put a hand on her shoulder saying, "I know you feel alone and you translate all that hurting and loneliness into anger, but it doesn't have to be like that. I care about you Pizzazz, I don't want to see you hurting like this."

"You don't even know me. How can you care, why should you care?" Pizzazz turned away from Roarin, her heart aching.

"I care because I'm a Christian and God has given me the gift of a compassionate and loving spirit. I don't like to see anyone suffer." Roarin gently turned Pizzazz's face back. "You don't have to earn love from me, I give it freely. It's unconditional, that's why I saved your life. Because God first loved me unconditionally and gave His life for me, I can now show others that same kind of love." Roarin put her arm around Pizzazz as she broke down crying.

Jetta was bawling on Erin's shoulder after a similar talk and Roxy was shedding silent tears while Shana comforted her. Stormer was talking with Kimber and crying while Kimber hugged her tight. Soon everyone was gathered around the Misfits, comforting them and for the first time in their lives, the Misfits felt like they belonged and they were home.

They all stayed up late into the night getting to actually know each other after four years of pointless rivalry. Both sides were shocked to see just how badly they had misjudged each other, but with the loving guidance of the Fireheart clan they were well on the road to reconciliation and healing. Pizzazz openly admitted to everyone how her mother had left and her father had abandoned her for his work and that all she ever really wanted was to belong and be loved. Roxy told the story of her past, how her parents were killed and how she had run away from Philadelphia when she was sixteen and how Roarin and her cousins had helped her. Stormer told of how she and her brother lost their parents and how their family came apart when he left for Europe. Jetta's story was of how her parents never really wanted her and couldn't wait to get rid of her. The wild British saxophonist actually choked up as she told her story.

"So that's why you're such a compulsive liar. You try to make yourself feel important by making up stories of how you're such good friends with the Queen Mum and all that." said Roxy looking surprised.

"Yah, well, t'ain't easy to admit your own parents don't even want you or care you exist." said Jetta, tears welling up in her eyes.

"There is someone who does want you and cares very much that you exist. God made you, you're not a mistake, you are fearfully and wonderfully made, and you are precious in His sight. Were this not so, He would not have willingly put aside His rights and privileges as God and become a man to live a perfect life and die a death of shame so that you might live. So great was His loving kindness that He gave Himself for us." said Roarin.

"Yah, well, if 'Ee's so loving and all, 'ow come there's so much sufferin' in the world?" Jetta asked.

"Because of sin. When Adam and Eve first disobeyed in the Garden, that brought sin, suffering, and death into the world. God in His loving kindness, planned for Salvation from the beginning. Although He hoped that Adam and Eve would choose to obey Him, He knew that they wouldn't, but He gave them freewill anyway and set in motion His divine plan to save us from our sin. He could have just left us to die in sin, but He didn't, He could have forced Adam and Eve to obey Him, but He didn't because He wanted them to obey Him because they loved and trusted Him, not because they had no choice." This calm explanation caused Jetta and the other Misfits to reevaluate their views on Christianity.

"I know it's a lot to take in at first, but when you've had the living testimony of six wonderful people everyday for the past three months it kinda rubs off." said Jerrica smiling as she remembered Roarin taking the time to explain Christianity and praying with her the day she decided to become a Christian.

"Yeah. It may not be easy, but it's outrageous! The more you learn and the closer you get to God, the more peaceful, purposeful, and meaningful your life becomes." said Kimber remembering her own talk with Rex.

"Roarin taught me the power of true forgiveness and I wanted to learn more." said Rio adding his testimony.

"Erin was the one who helped me. I used to think Christians were foolish before I met the Firehearts. They proved me wrong." said Aja.

"It was their example of loving kindness and forgiving compassion that won me over and no one demonstrates it better than Dan." said Shana.

"I had gone to church a few times before as a kid, but I never really understood until Ally explained the truth of Salvation to me." said Raya.

"Do you think we could learn some more about all this?" asked Stormer on behalf of the group.

"Of course. When we get back to Starlight Mansion it'll be Sunday and we'll all go to church. You should join us." said Roarin.

"It's just a small community church, but the pastor there is great. He really knows how to explain things and if you have questions, he'll make time for you after the sermon." said Ally.

"Well, what have we got to lose? Who knows? It might even be fun. Whaddaya say Misfits?" asked Pizzazz.

"Sure, why not?" was the heartened response.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Faith and Truth.

That Sunday the Misfits went to church, the last place any of them ever thought they'd end up. The sermon was about Christ's life, death, and resurrection and its significance. Pastor Lewis was surprised to see four women with wild makeup and loud rebel garb in church, but he saw at once that they were looking for love and meaning in their lives. He caught Roarin giving him a meaningful look and knew he'd have four people to talk to after the service.

"Man! That Pastor Lewis really knows what he's talking about!" said Pizzazz as Stormer drove the Misfits' van to Starlight Mansion.

"And he's patient. I had so many questions I thought he would think I was an idiot or something, but he just explained it 'til I got it." said Stormer.

"I still don't take much stock in all this. It's just too much for me to wrap me 'ead around." said Jetta scratching her head.

"Not everyone accepts it right away. You have to reach your own believing point." said Roxy as she gazed out the window.

"Roxy, you're the only one of us who didn't have a lot of questions and you were the most insightful out of all of us. What gives?" Stormer asked.

"The six months I was with the Firehearts they taught me about this, but I didn't believe them until they saved my life. I knew about Christianity and could have pursued it, but instead I chose to please myself and remain in sin. No more. I'm done with the old ways, I'm tired of my wrong doing beating me up, I want to live for something worth living for. Something worth fighting for." Roxy was grave and serious.

"I'm with you Roxy. I want to find the truth and meaning in life." said Stormer.

"I just want to feel loved and valuable, like my life matters." said Pizzazz leaning her head on her hand.

"I still can't believe I'm sayin' this, but, to break the foul mood 'ere, Jerrica and Rio are finally tyin' the knot. 'Bout bloomin' time too." said Jeta.

"Yeah, and Aja and Craig will be getting engaged next week. My crazy brother's got a big surprise planned and if any of you let the cat out of the bag, he'll kick my pants and I'll kick yours." Stormer's joking threat caused everyone to laugh, immediately lightening the mood.

At Starlight Mansion everyone was talking about the upcoming wedding. Pastor Lewis was to perform the ceremony, Kimber was to be her sister's maid of honor and Aja, Shana, and Raya were to be the bride's maids, Sean, Craig, Anthony, and Dan were to be best man and groom's men, Moonlight was to provide the music, and it was all going to take place here at the mansion. The Misfits expected to be excluded, so they were surprised when Jerrica invited them.

"Are you sure? We're not exactly 'part of the family'." Pizzazz said with a despondent look on her face.

"Don't be silly. We may have started out as enemies, but now, you're all part of the family." said Kimber giving Pizzazz a hug.

"Wow. I never thought… I've never felt this way before. I feel…" Pizzazz trailed off, a dumbfounded expression on her face.

"Loved?" Roarin finished.

"Yeah. For the first time in my life, I really feel like people care about me for me and not because I'm rich or famous." said Pizzazz finally finding words.

"I know what you mean. For the first time in my life I feel like I have a home." said Roxy.

"Me too Yank. I never 'ad a 'ome or a family before." said Jetta as tears of happiness rolled down her face.

"I'm just glad the long and pointless war is over." said Stormer.

"Yeah. Jerrica, I'm very sorry for all the times we tried to ruin your career or embarrass you in public." said Pizzazz.

"What do you mean Pizzazz?" Jerrica asked, concern beginning to well up in her.

"Oh, come off it Yank. We all know you're Jem. I mean, you kinda gave it away when you reacted to the phony Jerrica the way you did." said Jetta.

"And not to mention the time I swiped those earrings of yours in China. Sorry about that by the way." said Roxy.

"And the fact that your always the one who has to get Jem." said Stormer.

"Alright, I give. When did you figure it out?"

"Stormer was the one who figured it out first, but eventually we all did." said Pizzazz.

"Why didn't you go public with it? You could have made my life a real misery." Jerrica asked.

"I don't know. I thought about it several times, but somehow I always thought about the Starlight Girls and how it would ruin their lives. Out of character I know, but I had already lived through being abandoned by my parents. I guess I couldn't bear the thought of those kids growing up without the shelter and affection that I never had." said Pizzazz remembering her own lonely childhood.

"I really misjudged you Pizzazz. I was so fixated on how much of a thorn you were in my side that I never saw the good in you." Jerrica hugged Pizzazz.

"Ok! Enough with the hugging! Geez Louise! You people are so clingy." Pizzazz said laughing and gently pulling out of Jerrica's embrace.

"Yep, that's us. The clingy Bentons." Jerrica released Pizzazz laughing.

"Come on guys. It's movie night, remember? We're watching 'The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe' tonight." said Roarin as she led the way to the TV room, carrying a large bowl of popcorn.

Pizzazz, Roxy, Jetta, and Stormer had a blast! Never before had they had such a good time at a sleep over. After the movie, they had games and everyone just had a good time hanging out together. For once the Misfits felt like they were part of a real family and knew they weren't going to return to their old ways, they were having far too much fun and they finally found what they were searching for all along.

As Pizzazz lay back on the bed she clasped her hands behind her head and closed her eyes. Her love starved heart had finally found what it had yearned for all these long years, true love that would never fade or leave. She was content and satisfied, but she hungered to know more, she wanted to plunge headlong into this sea of truth, faith, love, and so much more. Pizzazz stood up and walked over to the window.

As she gazed out at the stars she said, "God, this is Pizzazz, I mean Phyllis Gabor. I don't really know how to do this, so please bear with me. I've done a lot of bad things in my life, but Roarin and Pastor Lewis say you can take that away and make me new. I, I only did those things because I never felt loved. My father cares more about his work than he does me, but still, that's no excuse. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I want you to come into my heart and forgive me of my sin. I don't want to do the things I've done anymore, I want to do right, I want to be loved. Please, forgive me and come into my heart. Amen."

"Amen!"

Pizzazz whirled around to find Roarin grinning, beaming with joy and walking towards her.

"I'm so happy for you! Welcome to the family, sister." Roarin held out her arms to embrace her.

Pizzazz suddenly grinned from ear to ear and hugged Roarin. She felt as though a great weight had been lifted off her heart and she felt a joy and peace like nothing she'd ever felt before. After a few moments she let go and said she was tired, so Roarin wished her goodnight and left. As she drifted off into slumber, Pizzazz knew she finally had a Father who would always love her and never leave her. That caused her to smile.

Roxy was sitting at the desk in her room, pouring over the pages of the Bible Roarin had given her earlier that day, by the light of a desk lamp. Her reading had drastically improved when she made up her mind to keep at it. She was studying John 3:16-17.

"'For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Verse 17. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.' I wish Roarin was here." Roxy leaned back in her chair.

"Someone mention me?" Roarin stepped into the room smiling. "How can I help you Roxanne?"

"Can you, pray with me?"

"I've waited over eight years to hear you say that." Roarin took Roxy's hands in hers and, bowing her head and closing her eyes prayed, "Father in Heaven, we come before you in the precious name of Jesus, to ask You to come into the heart of Roxanne Peligrini."

Roxy joined, "God, I confess that I have sinned and that I need your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin and rose again. I ask You to come into my heart. Please forgive me. Amen."

Roarin finished, "Lord I ask that You guide and protect Roxanne as she sets out on this journey of faith. I ask that You would reveal Your presence to her even when it feels like You are far away. We ask You all these things in the precious name of Jesus. Amen."

Roxy looked up and saw absolute joy in Roarin's face as she hugged her saying, "Welcome to the family, sister."

As Roxy lay in bed after Roarin said goodnight, she felt for the first time, that her life had meaning and value. She soon drifted into pleasant dreams.

Erin was walking by Stormer's room when her heightened sense of hearing picked up the sound of soft crying. Curious, she entered and found Stormer crying. Erin walked over and sat down on the bed. Stormer at once sat up and hugged her.

"Oh, Erin! I'm so happy! I just became a Christian and for the first time in my life, I feel at peace."

"That's wonderful Stormer! Welcome to the Family of God, sister." Erin hugged Stormer for a few moments.

Stormer soon dried her eyes and sank back onto her pillow, her expression one of absolute peace. There was no doubt in Erin's mind of the truth of her belief. Erin wished Stormer goodnight and retired to her own room.

Jetta tossed and turned, unable to rest. She wanted to believe, but her heart was plagued by fear and her mind by doubt. She felt hot, so she got up and went into the bathroom down the hall. She turned on the water and splashed her face with the cold liquid. She stood there leaning on the sink for a while.

"Jetta?"

Jetta turned around to find Jerrica standing behind her, looking at her curiously.

"What? You can't sleep neither?" she asked, looking exhausted.

"No. I was going to make myself some chamomile tea. Want some?"

"Sure. Maybe a cup a tea is just what I need." Jetta followed Jerrica to the kitchen.

While Jerrica got the water heating and the tea cups and tea bags out, Jetta sat down at the table and put her head in her hands. She was tired, tired of the lies she couldn't stop telling, tired of the fights between herself and Roxy (she actually liked Roxy and admired her courage, but she'd never admit it), and just tired of feeling unwanted. She sighed and laid her head down on her arms.

Jerrica walked over and started rubbing Jetta's shoulders. They were very tense, but gradually relaxed. Jetta mumbled something and sighed.

"What was that Jetta?" Jerrica asked.

"I said that feels lovely, love. La, I'm so tired." Jetta's voice was somewhat muffled by her arms.

"Why are you so tense? What's bothering you?" Jerrica sat down next to her.

Jetta sat up and said, "It's all this Christianity. I want to believe, but I'm scared."

"Of what exactly? Are you afraid of being mocked or are you afraid of being 'taken in'?"

"Well, both to a certain extent, but mostly the last. I mean, 'ow can I know for sure that this is all real and not just somethin' someone made up?"

"The daughter of the star Ramandu in C. S. Lewis's book, 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' said, 'You can't know. You can only believe, or not.' That's why it's called a leap of faith. You just have to trust that it is real and plunge in." Jerrica said smiling.

"I never was very good at trustin'. Circumstances in me life 'ave given me real bad trust issues." Jetta rubbed her temples.

Just then the tea pot started whistling and Jerrica made the tea.

"Cream or sugar?" she asked grabbing the cream from the fridge and the sugar from the counter.

"Nah, I like it strait. Thanks love." Jetta said accepting her cup.

Jerrica put some cream in her own tea and stirred it meditatively. She was a new Christian herself and had never witnessed to anyone like this before. She prayed for the words to say.

Jerrica took a deep breath and said, "You know Jetta, I once thought the way you do. I couldn't believe that there could be an all powerful, loving God because of all the suffering I saw on every front. But then Roarin told me about the creation story and pointed out all the marvelous wonder of creation and it's incredible order and clear structure. I had to admit that there had to be an intelligent designer and when forced to admit that, I finally saw the wonder and beautiful mercy of the cross."

Jetta was flabbergasted. "I, I, you mean to say… Oh, wow." After a few minutes silence she finally said, "I've made up me mind. I want what you all have, that peace and joy and love that never ends, even in the pain. I want to be free."

Jerrica smiled and said, "Let's pray."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Wedding Bells.

A month later, the day of the wedding rolled around and everyone bustled to get ready.

Pizzazz rang the doorbell.

"They're takin' their bloomin' time answerin' the door." Jetta commented tapping her foot impatiently.

"You know they don't have a maid or butler and they're all probably real busy getting ready for the wedding." said Stormer.

"Which is why we're here in the first place, so can it Jetski." said Roxy, who was in somewhat of a bad mood from being dragged out of bed at six in the morning on a Saturday.

"Look Rox, I know you're tired and cranky, but you don't 'ave to take it out on me or anyone else for that matter." Jetta put an arm around Roxy and gave her a little hug.

Roxy yawned. "Darn right I'm tired. Who's idea was it to have the ceremony at 11 in the morning anyway?" she asked, shaking herself to wake up.

"It was mine." said Jerrica as she answered the door. "I'm so glad you could make it! It was really nice of you all to offer to help set up." she said as she led them to the kitchen. "Have you guys eaten yet? There's some of Roarin's famous Berry Blast Breakfast Cake on the counter if you're hungry."

"Thanks, but we ate already. Roxy's bad enough when she's tired, but tired _and_ hungry? You really don't want to be in the same room with her then." Pizzazz playfully chucked Roxy in the shoulder.

Roxy laughed and grabbed a slice of cake anyway. That girl had the ability to eat about a zillion calories a day and not gain a pound. But then again, she did have an extremely high metabolism.

"So, what exactly can we 'elp you with love?" asked Jetta looking around for something to do.

"You can help set up the tables on the back lawn for the reception." said Jerrica pointing to the tables in question.

"All right Misfits, let's get to work." said Pizzazz leading the way to the tables. "Jetta, you and I will start at this side of the lawn. Roxy, you and Stormer start at the other side. We'll meet in the middle."

"Righto." said Jetta as she deftly wheeled a table into position and unlatched it, guiding it down until it locked into the open position.

"Ok. Come on Roxy." said Stormer, walking over to the other side of the lawn.

"I'm comin'." said Roxy. She popped the rest of her cake in her mouth and helped Stormer get the table into position and opened.

An hour later, the tables and chairs were set up and the Misfits wandered into the mansion to see what else they could help with. Soon they were helping the Starlight Girls with the decorations. After that, all that was left to do was the food, but that was going to be catered, so they went back to the Gabor mansion to get ready.

Pizzazz tore though her closet looking for something, appropriate, for the wedding. Everything in her closet was revealing, loud, or wild in some way, shape, or form.

"Humph! What the heck is this? When did I buy…" Pizzazz shook her head and tossed the garment over her shoulder. "Oh, come on! I practically have an entire boutique in my closet and yet I can't find anything to wear! This is ridiculous!"

She was just about to walk out of her closet when she spotted it. A white lawn dress with light blue flowers that she had bought on a whim a few years ago. She'd never worn it, it wasn't her style at all, but something about it had attracted her. She never would have admitted it at the time, but it reminded her of her mother, so she bought it. Now Pizzazz put it on and walked out of her closet.

As she looked at herself in the full length mirror, Pizzazz realized she looked just like her mother. Same green hair (no one knew why it was that color, it just was), same green eyes, same high cheek bones, and the same strong yet slender build. Pizzazz smiled as she thought about her family before her mother left, before the divorce, before she felt like a misfit.

"Pizzazz! Time to go! We're gonna be late!" Roxy's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah. Be down in a minute!" she called back. She whispered, "I wish you were here, Mother." Pizzazz turned and headed downstairs.

The ceremony was beautiful. Jerrica looked gorgeous in her wedding dress as she walked down the aisle. Rio was dashingly handsome in his white tux as he held her hands in his. There were very few dry eyes among the guests as the two said their vows and presented their rings. As soon as Pastor Lewis pronounced them husband and wife, Rio threw back Jerrica's veil and they kissed, causing everyone to clap and cheer.

The reception was a buffet style setup. Pastor Lewis asked the blessing and soon everyone was eating, talking, and laughing. Jerrica glanced over at the Misfits, who were actually talking and laughing with Danse and even the Countess Danielle DuVoisin and Lindsey. Danse was as calm, tranquil, and accepting as ever, but the other two women were mystified as to the sudden and sincere change that had come over the Misfits, but they had to agree it was a huge improvement.

"I don't understand it. How can those four witches all off a sudden turn over a new leaf like that? It's gotta be a scam." Vivian Montgomrey, known to her friends and coworkers as Video, apparently didn't buy the Misfits' change of heart.

Jerrica put a hand on her friend's shoulder as they stood by the punch bowl and said, "I know it's hard to believe, but they really have changed. They really weren't as bad as they seemed. All they really wanted was to feel loved and valuable."

"Like how Clash wants to feel accepted." said Video, looking off into the distance, thinking of her cousin Constance Montgomery and sighing.

"Yeah." Jerrica gave Video a little hug.

After the other guests had left, the Misfits, Danse, and Video helped clean up. After a while even Video had to admit that the Misfits' change of heart was sincere and went home feeling confused and relieved all at once. The Misfits left shortly after she did, Pizzazz, Roxy, and Jetta going to the Gabor mansion and Stormer heading for her own house.

Danse was the last to leave and said, "Isn't it wonderful that the Misfits are Christians now? At last the war is over."

"Stormer said the same thing." said Aja.

"Of course she did. She always was the peace maker of the group. Farewell my friends, I must away." said Danse laughing and waiving goodbye as she left for Haven House.

The next morning everyone was in a bitter-sweet excitement as they helped Rio and Jerrica get ready for their honeymoon trip to Paris.

"Now, are you sure you have everything memorized, written down, etc.?" Jerrica asked for the thirteenth time.

"Yes, Jerrica. Don't worry, we have everything under control. You relax, enjoy your honeymoon, have fun." Roarin laughed.

Jerrica was more nervous now than she was yesterday, if that was even possible. The workaholic, over-protective side of her was not going to give up without a struggle.

"Relax Jerrica. No matter what, there are things you can't control, but God is always there and nothing is beyond Him." Rex said as he hugged her goodbye.

Jerrica relaxed a little. "I know Rex. Thanks for reminding me. Pray for me." she whispered.

"All set Jerrica. Let's go." said Rio as he closed the trunk of the car.

"Ok, Rio. Bye everyone! Be good while I'm gone girls. And that goes for you too Kimber!" Jerrica said playfully as she waived goodbye.

Kimber just shook her head, rolling her eyes and smiling as she waived back.

"Goodbye! We'll be good! Bring us back some souvenirs!" was the chorus of shouts from the girls.

"Goodbye Jerrica, Rio. May God bless you and keep you safe on your journey! Don't forget to thank Him for the good times and cling to Him in the bad! Have fun! See you in two weeks! And don't worry Jerrica! We have everything under control!" Roarin shouted as the car pulled away, taking a very happy Rio and Jerrica to the airport.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Stinger Agenda.

"This new band, Moonlight, they are, extremely popular. Even more popular than us, the Stingers." Riot interlaced his fingers and had that 'I am not pleased at all' look on his face.

"So, what are we going to do about it Riot?" Rapture asked, looking intently at his face, trying to read more deeply into it.

"If you ask me they're a waste of time. They're just a bunch of no-talent American freaks. They belong in a circus sideshow." said Minx as she filed her nails with her typical bored look.

"I agree they are hideous to look at and what the public sees in them is beyond me. I mean, we're perfection incarnate, what more could you ask for? But, the public is a fickle beast, and if they want Moonlight, we have to manage them." Riot said placing his arms on his mahogany desk and leaning forward wearing his 'I don't like this, but if it gets me what I want' look.

"But they're already signed to, ugh, Starlight Music." said Rapture with a shiver of disgust.

"Then we'll just have to unsign them." said Minx, her classic 'I've got a plan and I'm going to enjoy this' grin spreading across her face.

"And how do you propose we do that Minx?" asked Riot. He knew when Minx got that look, she usually had something good.

"Why, we'll simply make them an offer they can't refuse." Minx set her nail file aside, clasping her hands around her knee.

"And just what might this offer be?" asked Rapture. She knew Minx well enough to where if Minx was suggesting they be nice to an American group, Rapture was a bit concerned the authorities might become involved.

"We'll offer them the chance to work with the best rock group in the world and bask in the glory of the most perfect people on earth. And double anything Jerrica Benton's paying them." Minx laughed.

"I like the sound of that. After all, they are a young, inexperienced group and will be easily influenced." said Riot, his charisma starting to spark. "Let's go."

Roarin answered the door to find a man and two women standing there. They were all blond and had the most snobbish and conceited air she'd felt in a long time. She groaned inwardly. She knew who these people were and could guess what they wanted.

"Can I help you Mr. Llewelyn?" she asked, being as civil as possible.

"Please, call me Riot. May we come in? We have a business proposition for your family." Riot said in his most charming, charismatic way.

Roarin knew the only way to get the Stingers to leave was to play along, then, as tactfully and politely as possible, in no uncertain terms, reuse any offer they made.

"Very well. Right this way." she said leading them to a private room. "If you'll wait just a moment I'll get the rest of my family." she said turning to leave.

"Certainly. Take as much time as you need." said Riot in a voice like honey.

It made Roarin want to gag, how sickeningly sweet that man could be just to get what he wanted.

Aja stopped her in the hall. She did not look happy.

"What are they doing here?" she asked, trying not to sound angry.

"If my discernment is right, their here to try and get us to leave Starlight Music for Stinger Sound." Roarn tried to keep the disgust out of her voice.

"Don't do it Roarin. Riot can't be trusted. He will do and say anything to get what he wants." Aja warned.

"I know Aja. I really appreciate your concern. Don't worry, if Riot offered us the world and could deliver, the Fireheart clan would not leave Starlight Music." Roarin said giving Aja's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Aja sighed, ashamed that she had let doubt come into her mind. "I know Roarin. I know." she said, heading off to some help Shana with some work.

For half an hour the Firehearts listened politely (if impatiently) to Riot go on and on about the benefits of working for Stinger Sound.

"So, you see, if you were all signed with Stinger Sound, you would all be rich and famous and only the best of the best would associate with you. You'd go to all the best parties, meet all the best people, you would be among the most perfect people on earth." Riot was laying the charm on real thick, for he could tell the Firehearts were unaffected by his charisma.

Roarin looked at her cousins and they all gave her the look. She nodded in agreement, this had gone on long enough.

"Mr. Llewelyn, my cousins and I are flattered that you think so highly of the talent God has blessed us with, but we signed on with Starlight Music and Jerrica Pacheco has proven to be a fair and ethical business woman and a good friend. I'm sorry, but we cannot accept your, generous offer. Our commitment is here." Roarin said in a respectful, but firm tone.

"You will never go anywhere with Jerrica Pacheco. You need us if you no-talent American freaks want to go anywhere." shot Minx with a crushing glare.

"Perhaps I wasn't clear. If you could offer us the whole world and deliver, we would still remain here. We signed on with Jerrica and we will stay, no matter what you say." Roarin's tone was still courteous, but her eyes were ablaze with swiftly rising anger.

"Come Minx, they obviously don't care about their careers. Let's go." Riot knew he was defeated.

"Fine. They aren't worth the trouble anyway." Minx shot Roarin a provoking glare, but Roarin chose not to respond.

"I can't believe the cheek of those American freaks!" Minx was furious! She had been so sure her plan would work.

Rapture snorted. "Obviously, they have no class."

"Yes. Obviously." Riot was thoughtful.

He knew that the Firehearts had been entirely unaffected by his charm and charisma. It unsettled him. Normally, Normals and Mutants alike swayed under his influence, but these six individuals had not only been able to resist, but it seemed effortless to them. Riot was troubled and mystified by it. Rapture noticed.

"What troubles you Riot?" she asked in her playful fortune-teller voice.

"I'm not in the mood Rapture." Riot said with an impatient waive of his hand.

"Oh, come on, Riot. I may be a con-artist, but I still have eyes and I know you very well. You're upset because you couldn't charm the Firehearts." said Rapture. It was her turn to be impatient now.

"You're right, as usual. You always were good at reading people. It's why you're such a good con-artist. Now, maybe you can tell me how to get the Firehearts?" said Riot, looking expectant.

"The only reading I was able to get off them was their complete and utter disgust for what we were trying to do and their unwavering, unbreakable resolve and you know it." Now Rapture was the unsettled and upset one.

"Ho, ho! Can't take a dose of your own medicine Rapture?" Riot had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Rapture rolled her eyes and sighed, defeated. Minx had watched the exchange and found it very amusing. Her musical laugh was soon heard. Rapture saw her opportunity and took it.

"And just who's plan was it that backfired anyway?" she asked, a smug grin on her face.

Minx's countenance dropped at once. She scowled, but then she smiled, shaking her head and laughing.

"I'm not going to let a bunch of American freaks, or even you Rapture, ruin the rest of my day. I'm going to go work on that new chip for my synthesizer." she stood and headed for her workshop.

"I think I'll go see what fun I can scare up in town, unless you'd rather I stayed Riot." Rapture said, standing to leave.

"No, I have some things that require my attention. Go have fun." he said with a dismissive waive of his hand.

Rapture shrugged and headed into town.

_'So, Rio and Jerrica are married. That means Rio can't pursue Jem. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh. Jem you are all mine now.'_ Riot thought as he pulled some papers from his desk and began the wearisome, but necessary task of setting Stinger Sound's business paperwork in order.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Problems and Solutions.

"So, everything seems to be in order for the tour." said Rio as he closed the tour bus trunk.

"Not quite Rio. We need to talk." Jerrica led him into Synergy's room.

Roarin and the rest of the Firehearts, along with Kimber, Aja, Shana, and Raya were already there.

"What's going on?" Rio asked.

"Rio, now that you and Jerrica are married, your attitude towards Jem must change." said Synergy.

"What do you mean? She's my wife." Rio was rather indignant.

"Most people do not know that Jem and Jerrica are one in the same and they must not find out. If knowledge of me were public, there would be great danger of my technology being stolen for evil purposes."

"It will be difficult Rio, but it's necessary. However, Synergy, I've given you the full upgrade now, so you're indestructible and your signal can penetrate anything. Jerrica, your Jemstar earrings are now indestructible and water proof. As you all know, Synergy has the power to manipulate matter to a certain extent so the Jem persona is real; people are able to touch her, put makeup on her, do her hair, etc. etc. and it feels real so they don't suspect. Now with the upgrade, Synergy's signal can't be blocked, so we shouldn't have any more disruptions. Rio, now that everyone knows you and Jerrica are married, men will pursue Jem, especially Riot of the Stingers, so you have to act disinterested. Jerrica as Jem you should tell your pursuers you are unavailable, but be as vague as possible. With Riot however, that will be a problem. Your only option is to tell him in no uncertain terms that you are not interested and stick with that no matter what." said Roarin.

"Why don't we just go public with the whole Jerrica/Jem thing?" Rio asked.

"I wish it were that simple Rio. But Synergy is just too powerful to be public knowledge. If she were, every lowlife thief would be trying to get their hands on her." said Rex putting a sympathetic hand on Rio's shoulder.

Rio sighed. "I know, it's just I hate that I can't be with the woman I love all the time. I'll do my best Jerrica, but it won't be easy." said Rio holding Jerrica close.

"I know Rio. All I ask is that you do your best. We'll get through this together." said Jerrica as she kissed Rio.

"Now everyone, you have to remember not to say anything that could compromise Jem's true identity. I think that's everything, so now everything is finally ready for the 'Starlight And Moonlight' tour." Roarin breathed a sigh of relief as every one headed for bed.

At five the next morning Rio took the wheel of Jem and the Holograms' bus and Rex drove Moonlight's. As they passed the Gabor mansion they saw a sight that warmed their hearts. Pizzazz, Roxy, Stormer, and Jetta were standing on the front lawn holding a banner that said, "Good luck! See you in three weeks!" It was a very touching gesture because none of the Misfits besides Stormer ever got up before 10 in the morning, so that they would drag themselves out of bed to see them off was very heartening. Rio and Rex honked the horns and everyone waived as they drove by.

"They saw us." said Stormer with a grin.

"Do you think they liked it?" Roxy asked through a yawn.

"Of course they did. Didn't you hear them honkin' and see 'em waiving? I'd say we made their morning, and it felt pretty good doing this for them too." said Pizzazz, a pleased look on her face.

"Darn right. Now can we get back to bed? I'm bushed." Jetta yawned.

"You lazy bones." Stormer chuckled as her friends went back inside to bed and she went for her morning jog.

"I wish I'd gotten up earlier. I could've used a run to clear my head." Roarin shook her head trying to finish waking up.

"Here, take a swig of this. Mixed it up myself." Ryan handed Roarin a thermos.

Roarin took a swig of the contents. It was cold, very sweet, and energizing. Roarin's head cleared instantly.

"Morning Fire Juice. You added a hint of lime to the recipe. It's quite good, I'm impressed Ryan. I may have to appoint you the new Juice maker of the family." Roarin said as she handed the thermos back to Ryan.

"Aw, shucks." Ryan would have blushed were it not for his black fur.

"Just make sure you keep that stuff away from Jem and the Holograms. The last thing we need is for them to unwittingly give themselves lethal caffeine poisoning." Erin said giving Ryan a serious look.

"Yeah, Ryan. Don't forget and leave it lying around." said Ally.

"I won't. Sheesh! You'd think I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached." Ryan put the thermos in the cooler and locked it.

Meanwhile on the Holograms' bus, Jerrica and Aja were having a sisterly talk.

"I don't know if I'm ready for this Jerrica. Maybe we should wait a year." Aja said fiddling with the ring on her left hand.

"You accepted Craig's proposal, I'd say you're ready. I mean, you two have been dating for the past two years." Jerrica smiled, giving Aja's hand a comforting squeeze.

"I know. It's just, you and Rio just got back from your honeymoon last week and already you're back in the swing of things. I don't know if I'd be able to keep doing this after Craig and me tie the knot." Aja sighed. "I want to settle down and raise a family of my own Jerrica and I can't do that if I'm still part of Jem and the Holograms, but I don't want to just leave you guys either."

"Aja, this is your and Craig's decision. Pray about it and whatever you feel God is calling you to, whether it's staying with the band or leaving to start your own family or whatever He has planned for you, we'll support you. Remember, God is in control and He always has your best interests in mind, even if it doesn't feel like it at the time." Jerrica giggled, remembering an incident earlier that week, where certain band deal was involved and she was stone walled in her efforts to sign the band to Starlight Music.

Turned out the band in question were con-artists hoping to get a big score. That night, a very sheepish yet grateful Jerrica had thanked her Maker for protecting her and her family from disaster.

Aja laughed. "I know Jerrica, I know. You know, I cannot thank God enough for bringing the Firehearts into our lives and using them to show us the way. If it hadn't been for them, things could have turned out very bad."

"Yes. I don't know how I would have been able to tell Rio the truth before it was too late and that bad deal I just narrowly avoided..." Jerrica sank back into her seat.

"And the Misfit's would have been killed if it weren't for them. It just goes to show God works in wonderful ways, even if we don't understand them." said Aja.

"Hey guys! They're playing 'Starlight And Moonlight'!" Kimber exclaimed, cranking the radio.

'Starlight And Moonlight' was the title song of the album of the same name, they had cut with Moonlight and were promoting with this tour. The tour was going well, until they got to Detroit Michigan. They had wrapped up their concert and had a few free days, so they decided to see the sights. The Firehearts decided to visit their old neighborhood and Roarin to visit her mother's grave.

_Here lies Victoria Fireheart.  
Loving wife, mother, aunt, and teacher.  
April 20th, 1943-September 8th, 1974._

As she stood before the headstone, Roarin reached out and rested a hand on it, bowing her head, shedding silent tears.

"Mother, I wish you were here. Your comforting presence and loving guidance is sorely missed. What I wouldn't give to hear your voice one more time, to feel your embrace, just one more time." Roarin sighed. "But I know that one day, we will be a family again, in the realm of glory, where there shall be no more pain or grief. Goodbye Mother, until we meet in Heaven."

Roarin turned to leave, but felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck, then blacked out.

"Where's Roarin?" Jerrica asked as Rex, Dan, Ally, Erin, and Ryan walked into the restaurant they had all agreed to meet at.

"She's not here?" Rex asked, looking surprised.

"No. We all thought she met up with you." Kimber said, looking worried.

"Hmm. It's not like Roarin to be late and not call or get a message to someone to let us know she's alright. If she's not here in the next twenty minutes I'll start to worry." Rex said stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Come on everyone. Let's get a table and order. Maybe Roarin'll be here by then." said Rio as a server walked towards them.

Roarin woke up in a dark, dank room with a throbbing pain in her head. She tried to get up and found her hands tied behind her back. She tried to break the bonds, but they were too strong. This troubled her, for there were few things she couldn't break out of and they were Mutant grade materials. She lay back down on her side, for the pounding in her head was worse.

A light shown in through the door of the room as it opened and three men walked in. Two of them dragged Roarin to her feet, then threw her roughly to her knees. The third man turned on a bright light in the center of the ceiling and sat down on a metal chair in front of her, crossing his arms and looking at her through eyes full of hatred.

"You are not an easy person to get alone Miss Fireheart." he said, his voice was oddly familiar.

"Do I know you? AGH!" The man on her left kicked her in the gut.

"Enough! I'm surprised you don't remember me. After all you did give me this to remember you by." The man leaned forward and wiped some makeup off to show her a scar that adorned the right side of his face.

Roarin gasped! "It can't be! You're supposed to be in jail Zipper!"

"Yeah, well, my former boss had some good lawyers in his pay. Anyway, you've been a thorn in my side long enough and I got some free time, so I've decided to get rid of you once and for all." Zipper stood and left her with his two goons.

"It's been over an hour. I'm really worried now." said Jerrica as she followed Rex.

"If Rex can't track her, no one can." said Ally with confidence.

Rex stopped at an intersection, his head moving back and forth as he scented the wind.

"This way." he said, turning left down an ally way.

Roarin lay on her side panting from the beating she had just received from Zipper's goons. Thanks to her indestructible skeleton and healing powers, she wasn't bleeding any more and her bruises had more or less healed, but it still hurt like the dickens! Also, the fact that she was hungry and very thirsty didn't help any. As she lay there trying to rest and conserve her strength, she said a silent prayer for the strength to resist hatred and that her family would stay safe.

Rex followed the scent as quickly as possible, but having a group of Normals tagging along was frustrating as they couldn't move as quickly as he and his family could. Then, all of a sudden, the road stopped. Right in front of them was an old apartment building similar to the one Victoria Fireheart died in. The scent trail led inside.

"In there." said Rex pointing to the building.

"Right. Now we call the police." said Rio looking for a payphone.

"No. This is Zipper's doing. The police would just let him go. Again." Rex said through clenched teeth.

"Zipper!" Jerrica, Kimber, Aja, Shana, Raya, and Rio exclaimed at once.

"Yes, Zipper, Eric Raymond's goon. He was responsible for burning our home down and killing our mother, for so our Aunt Victoria was to us, along with 17 other tenants. The reason being the landlord no longer wanted to bother with keeping the building up to code, but wanted the insurance money." Rex had calmed down considerably and now only looked very sad.

"Rex, I'm so sorry. Come on, let's go get Roarin." Jerrica took the lead.

Roarin was startled by the sounds of shouting and gun fire! She could hear what sounded like an elephant stampede, but she couldn't smell the animals. Instead she could smell... Jerrica? Roarin also detected the presence of Aja, Kimber, Raya, Shana, Rio, Ally, Erin, Dan, Ryan, and Rex. Her family had come to rescue her! The door went sailing across the room as Rex punched it off its hinges and Jerrica, Kimber, and Ally ran inside. Jerrica and Kimber helped Roarin up and Ally untied her hands. Rex came up to her and gave her a bear hug.

"Where are the others?" Roarin asked.

"They're handling Zipper and his men." said Rex. "Shall we join them?"

"Yes. I have something I'd like to say to Zipper." Roarin's eyes twinkled.

"No, no! Stay away from me!" Zipper cringed as Roarin stood over him.

"Calm down Zipper, you foolish man. I'm not going to hurt you." Roarin said calmly.

"What do you want with me? I haven't done anything!"

"No? You've burned my home down, killed my mother, and tried more than once to kill me. I'd say I have a score to settle with you. However, I'm willing to let you go Zipper, but if you ever cause trouble for me and my family again, and that includes everyone you see here, I will not be gentle." Roarin's eyes blazed.

"Alright! Alright! You'll never see me again! Just, please! Don't hurt me!" Zipper was shaking with fear.

"Very well." Roarin deftly loosed Zipper and his goons and watched with satisfaction as they ran as fast as their legs would carry them.

"I don't think we'll be having any more trouble from them for a long time." Rex laughed.

"Yes. But right now, I need to get something to eat and drink. I'm hungry as a bear and my throat is parched." said Roarin, her voice cracking.

Jerrica put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Come on. We'll stop someplace in town."

There were no further incidents on the tour and soon they were all back home ready to relax and take it easy for a few days.

But, as luck would have it, Jerrica got an emergency call in the middle of the night.

"Hello?" said a sleepy Jerrica.

"Jerrica? I'm so sorry to drag you out of bed, but, Eric Raymond is here!" Joanie sounded near panicked.

"Eric Raymond! Are you sure?" Jerrica could not believe her ears!

"Yes, and you can probably guess what he wants."

"Starlight Music."

"Yes."

Jerrica sighed. "I'll be over as soon as possible." she hung up the phone.

"Jerrica?" came a sleepy voice from behind her.

"Roarin? You should be in bed. You're still recovering from your bout with Zipper." Jerrica said in a maternal tone.

Even though they were the same age, the two women were almost like mothers to each other at times, they had been filling the role so long for others.

"I'm fine. You need backup on this one Jerrica. Eric Raymond is a snake and he's doubly dangerous now that he has absolutely nothing to lose but his own life."

Jerrica sighed. She knew Roarin was right on this one. Eric Raymond would be more dangerous now that he had nothing to lose.

"Joanie!" Jerrica exclaimed.

All of a sudden Jerrica realized that Joanie was more than likely being held hostage and Eric would probably threaten to kill her if Jerrica didn't give him Starlight Music.

The phone rang again.

"Hello?" Jerrica said, hoping it was Joanie again.

"Jerrica? Oh, I'm so glad I caught you in time!"

"Stormer?"

"Yes. Listen, Eric has completely lost his marbles. He's planted a bomb in Starlight Music! If you don't hand Starlight Music over to him, he will destroy it! If he can't have Starlight Music, no one can." Stormer sounded scared.

"How do you know this?" Jerrica asked.

"He called Pizzazz and was bragging about how he'd finally get Starlight Music or die trying. Pizzazz went off in hysterics and Roxy and Jetta had to drag her to bed. I was the only one left to call and warn you."

"Thanks Stormer. You're a good friend."

"Hey, it's the least I can do to make up for everything. You'd better stop him or Starlight Music is doomed!" said Stormer.

"Right. Thanks again Stormer. Bye."

"Bye and good luck. I'll be praying for you." Stormer hung up.

Jerrica hung up and turned to Roarin.

"I assume you heard all that." she said looking at Roarin.

"Yes. I knew Eric was dangerous, but this changes things. I need to wake Rex and the others. We need all the Firehearts looking for that bomb while you stall Eric." Roarin said.

"I agree. You'll back me up right?"

"Of course! I wouldn't have you face that madman alone! I'll be concealed nearby ready to take Eric out if need be." Roarin's face was dead serious.

"Hopefully it won't come to that." said Jerrica.

Ten minutes later, Jerrica was in her office trying to reason with Eric Raymond.

"If you won't give me Starlight Music I'll blow us all to kingdom come!" Eric shouted, waiving the detonator over his head.

"Eric! Please! Listen to reason!" Jerrica pleaded.

"NO! I'm done being trampled by you Jerrica Benton! You and your precious Jem and your precious Starlight brats! If I can't have Starlight Music, no one can!" Eric screeched.

Jerrica could see the madness in his wild eyes and knew there was no hope.

"Last chance Jerrica. What's it gonna be? Hey! Let go!" Eric tried to throw Roarin off as she held him fast, prying the detonator out of his hand.

She handed it to Jerrica just as Rex walked in with the defused bomb. Jerrica breathed a sigh of relief and gave the detonator to Rex. The police arrived moments later and took Eric Raymond away.

"Nooo! Not again! I'll get you for this Jerrica Benton! Mark my words, I'll get you for this!" Eric screamed.

"Poor Eric. Poor, foolish man." said Jerrica as she and Rio held each other.

"Eric Raymond won't be getting out of jail this time. He's a violent man who's a danger to himself and those around him. He'll be in the prison psych-ward for a long time." said Roarin with pity in her eyes.

"Come on, Jerrica. It's late and we all need time to rest and recover." said Rio as he led Jerrica to the car.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: So Long to Old Lives, Hello to New.

"Hmm. Should we keep my old kitchen table and chairs or should we sell them at the yard sale?" Rio asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he looked at the old set.

"I'm not sure where we'd put it. We're already fully furnished." said Jerrica.

"So we'll sell them."

"But then again, maybe Aja and Craig could use it."

"So we'll store them."

"But where?"

"Make up your mind Jerrica, please?" Rio laughed.

"We'll sell them. If Aja and Craig need a kitchen set we can just buy them a new one." Jerrica laughed.

"You know, after that business with Eric Raymond, this is actually very relaxing." said Rio.

"Yes. I'm just relieved that he can't hurt anyone or himself anymore. Now let's get all this stuff sorted and organized Mr. Pacheco and no more gloomy topics, please." Jerrica smiled as she handed Rio a box of random electrical parts.

While Rio and Jerrica were on their honeymoon, the Fireheart clan had brought all of Rio's things to Starlight Mansion and cleaned every inch of Rio's old house, inside and out. They washed the walls, the floors, the windows, everything. They refreshed all the paint, cut the grass, eradicated the weeds, and trimmed the hedges. When Rio got back he was surprised and pleased to find that all he had to do was sort his stuff and put his old house up for sale.

Rio had hoped that he and Jerrica would raise a family in that house, but when the original Starlight House burned down, Rio knew Jerrica would always be a foster mom, like her mother before her, and his house just wasn't big enough. So, he put his house up for sale and moved in to Starlight Mansion.

After three or four hours Rio and Jerrica finally had all of Rio's things organized and either put away or sitting in the garage for the yard sale the next day. Everyone in Starlight Mansion was dejunking this weekend. With the incident at Starlight Music still fresh in their minds, Roarin had suggested that they all go through all their stuff and hold a yard sale. Jerrica, Aja, Shana, Raya, Rio, and Mrs. Bailey agreed, seeing it would help everyone forget and clear the house of unnecessary stuff at the same time.

"Hey Kimber! Look what I found!" said Aja, walking over.

"Hey! I thought I'd lost that years ago!" Kimber exclaimed as she took the old necklace from Aja and hung it around her neck.

"Remember when Mom gave you that?" Jerrica asked as she walked into Kimber's room.

"I was so excited, I kept chattering about it for days. You actually put earplugs in because I was annoying you so much you couldn't focus on your homework. Sorry about that sis." Kimber laughed.

"You noticed that?" Jerrica asked sitting on the bed.

"Yep. I wasn't too happy about it, but Mom told me you needed to focus and I felt bad afterwards." Kimber said as she put a collection of little horse figurines on her dresser.

"Well, I've still got my own junk to go through. Erin said she'd help. I'd better go find her." Aja left to attend to her own cleaning.

"So, what all have you decided to sell Kimber?" Jerrica asked.

"So far, everything in these four boxes." said Kimber pointing to four large boxes filled with assorted clothes, jewelry, knick-knacks, and just random stuff.

"Wow, Kimber! I must admit I'm impressed." said Jerrica, a surprised yet pleased look on her face.

"Yeah, me too. Roarin was right, I really needed to do this. I can't believe all the stuff I've been hoarding over the years." Kimber put an old walkman in one of the slightly less full box and took one final good, hard look in her closet. "Well, that's everything. Now the easy part, cataloging all this stuff." Kimber said sarcastically.

"We'll do that tomorrow. Now I need to go through my stuff." said Jerrica standing to leave.

"I'll help." said Kimber.

"Thanks Kimber."

"Wow! Look at this Raya." Shana called.

"What is it?" Raya asked.

"A long time ago Aja, Jerrica, Kimber, and I made memory boxes and put all kinds of stuff in them. I thought I had lost mine years ago." Shana said as she opened the little old box and looked inside.

"Oh, wow! I didn't know you liked wild flowers so much." Raya said, picking up a pressed violet.

"Yeah, I used to love going out into the fields and woods to collect flowers and pinecones. I'd press the flowers and use the pinecones to make wreaths and picture frames and other assorted stuff." Shana smiled as she remembered.

"I'd say this is definitely a keeper." said Raya, gently replacing the violet in the box.

"Yes. I'll put this right here on this shelf." Shana set the box on a back shelf in her closet and continued her cleaning.

Aja tugged a blanket down off a shelf and was hit by something hard.

"Ouch!" she yelped rubbing her head.

"You ok Aja?" Erin poked her head around the corner.

"I'm fine. Something just fell on me, it's got to be around here somewhere… Oh my gosh! I haven't seen this thing in years!" Aja exclaimed as she picked up an old book.

"What is that?" Erin asked walking over.

"My journal. I lost this thing ages ago. Let's see… The last entry is, June 28, 1979, the year, Mom died." Aja closed the journal with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Aja. You know, that's the same year our mother died, well, aunt." said Erin, laying a comforting hand on Aja's shoulder.

"You know Erin, I can't thank God enough for bringing you guys into our lives." said Aja as she pulled Erin into a hug. A few moments later she let go and sighed. "Well, this closet isn't going to clean itself. Let's get back to work." she said smiling.

Jerrica pulled an old album out of a box in her closet.

"Hey Kimber! Come look at this!" she said walking out of the closet and sitting cross-legged on the bed.

"Hey! That's from the time Mom and Dad took us to Disney World!" Kimber said pointing to a picture of her, Jerrica, and their parents standing with Mickey Mouse, wearing black mouse ears.

Jerrica laughed. "I can't believe how ridiculous those mouse ears look. But that was a fun day. I miss them." Jerrica's eyes filled with tears.

"I know sis. I do too." Kimber pulled Jerrica into a hug.

Jerrica put her arms around Kimber and the two sisters held each other for a long while. At last Jerrica sighed and pulled away.

"Come on, there's still a lot of cleaning to do." she said smiling a small smile and heading back into the closet.

The next day, everyone pitched in cataloging, labeling, and setting everything out. Everyone was having a good time. The day started out slow, but picked up in the afternoon.

Jerrica looked around and thought, _'This was a very good idea. The girls are learning about economics and commerce and we're all getting rid of excess stuff and finding some old memories along the way. Roarin, you're a genius.'_

After the day was over, there was only a small box of clothing that didn't sell. Rio was going to take that to the local Goodwill in the morning. The Starlight Girls were counting their money and planning what they were gonna do with it.

"I'm gonna put mine in my bank account." said Terri as she finished stacking her bills neatly.

"That's a good idea Terri. I'm gonna do that too." said Leia, putting her money in her money box.

"I'm gonna put most of mine in my account, but I'm gonna donate ten dollars to that mission we heard about in Sunday school this week." said Ashley with a solemn look on her face.

"And why is that Ashley?" Roarin asked.

"Because those kids in that village need to hear the truth and I have a nice home and everything I need and they don't." said Ashley with conviction.

"That is an excellent answer and the one I hoped you'd give." said Roarin, an approving look on her face.

"I'm very proud of you Ashley. I'm glad you've taken the Biblical lessons you've learned to heart." said Jerrica.

"You know, we should all follow Ashley's example. I'm gonna donate some money too, but I'm donating to that mission to bring clean water wells to third world villages." said Krissi, remembering another mission they'd heard about in Sunday school.

"That's a good idea. You don't have to donate to the same missions, you don't even have to donate money at all if you don't want to, but you should all think of at least one way you can make someone's day a little brighter." said Roarin smiling at the girls selfless attitudes.

"What are you gonna do with your money Roarin?" Becky asked.

"Good question. I was actually gonna save mine for a special project me and my cousins are working on that's a little closer to home." said Roarin with a mysterious look in her eyes.

"What is it?" several girls asked at once.

"You'll just have to wait and see. If everything goes according to plan, it should be in the church announcement's in four weeks." said Roarin.

"Awww."

"Patience, patience my young friends. You'll just have to wait and see." Roarin's smile was infectious and soon everyone was headed up to bed.

A couple weeks later, Aja and Craig were married and off on their honeymoon. They spent a week in Greece, but when they got back they hit a bit of a snag. What to do next.

Craig lived with his sister Mary when he was in the States. He was usually in Europe with his band the Blue Bloods and he didn't really want to give that up just yet. Aja wanted to settle down and raise a family, but at the same time didn't want to quite Jem and the Holograms. After praying and deliberating and even arguing a little about it, they felt that God was calling them to pursue their music careers for the present, but Craig felt he was being called closer to home, so he began looking for a band in the States.

The next week however, he got a surprising letter.

'Hey Craig,  
Me and the boys were talkin' an' with you bein' married an' all, we thought, maybe we should come over an' start workin' in America so you're not so far from home all the time. We've got legalities to work through with permits and stuff, but we should be there in a month or so. Give Aja our respects and don't worry 'bout living quarters, I've got an old mate I've been meaning to visit for some time who'll be more 'n happy to put us up an' I know you've got your sister. Tell Mary hi from us by the way. Anyway, gotta rush, see ya soon.

Yours respectfully,  
The Blue Bloods.'

Craig was thrilled and relived that his band was coming to the States. It made things a bit easier. In the meantime though, Craig had moved into Starlight Mansion, until he and Aja could find a place of their own.

After much anticipation, the special project Roarin, Rex, Ryan, Ally, Erin, and Dan had been working on was finally announced! They were working on establishing a homeless shelter that focused on youth, especially teens and young adults. They had been in a bit of a legal battle over the building they were going to purchase and renovate, but they got it and now plans were set in motion for the renovations. They were asking for prayer and volunteers to help with the renovations and running of the place. Roxy was the first to volunteer. This project really hit home with her and she wanted to help. Stormer and a few other members of the church volunteered as well.

Anyway, despite all these changes, life went on in the world of music, glamour, glitter, fashion, and fame, and it wasn't easy for Jem.

"Jem! Now that Rio Pacheco and Jerrica Benton are married, does this mean you're available?" a reporter asked as Jem and the Holograms were leaving their latest concert.

The question caught Jem off guard and she hesitated for a moment before answering, "No, I am not available. And before you ask, no, it's not Riot of the Stingers."

"Then who is it?" asked another reporter.

"No comment." was all Jem would say.

That wasn't the worst of her troubles though. Men kept asking her out at her concerts, giving her flowers and chocolates, putting ads in the paper asking for a date and in some cases, her hand in marriage. At first Rio was jealous, but he eventually learned to trust his wife and just be there to support her. Their greatest consolation was their faith. It kept them from giving in to despair and helped them find a way through every difficult time.

Their most trying time was yet to come though and Jem would be faced with a difficult choice.

Riot. Ever since he heard the news that Jerrica and Rio were married, he had been plotting on how to win Jem's heart. Now he was ready to make his move. Jem and the Holograms were attending a party along with Moonlight, the Misfits (who were singed to Starlight Music now and had drastically changed the message of their songs), and the Stingers. As always, when the Stingers arrived, the room erupted in chaos, but with a few words Riot calmed everyone down. Unfortunately, Riot was seated next to Jem and he laid the charm on real thick.

"Hello Jem. Pleasant evening is it not?" Riot asked, his voice sickeningly sweet.

Jem forced herself not to gag, but instead replied, "Yes, very pleasant. Let's try to keep it that way shall we?"

Riot brushed the less than subtle hint aside, "How about you and me go for a little stroll out in the gardens after dinner? There's a lovely full moon out tonight."

"Maybe some other time." Jem said politely.

Riot dropped the subject and didn't speak to Jem for the rest of the meal. Partially because people were bombarding him with questions and small talk and partially to let Jem think over what he had said and change her mind. Jem however, was just relieved that he stopped bugging her and focused on what other people were asking and telling her. After dinner though, Riot cornered her and asked her again to join him for a moonlight stroll. Jem looked at Roarin for help, but Roarin waived for her to go on. Jem's eyebrows shot up, but Roarin just shrugged an 'it can't be helped', so Jem sighed and gave in.

Riot was elated as he escorted Jem through the fine gardens under the romantic light of the full moon. He continued to lay the charm and charisma on real thick, but Jem was unaffected this time. She had seen him for what he truly was, she was married, and she had a strength and support that she hadn't had before. However, Riot continued to pursue the illusion and Jem became absolutely fed up with it. She stopped by a stone bench with the excuse of being tired, which was true, the heels she was wearing were not the best choice of footwear for a loose gravel path. Riot was more than willing to sit down for a while.

"Jem, you are the most beautiful, most perfect woman I have ever met. Why don't you love me? I am clearly the perfect man and now that Rio's out of the way, there's nothing to prevent our love from blossoming and flourishing." said Riot leaning close to Jem.

Jem sighed. She clearly saw there was no way around it. If she wanted Riot to leave her alone, she had to tell him the truth.

"That's were you're wrong Riot. Your love for me is not real." said Jem, hoping, yet knowing that it wouldn't be enough.

"What do you mean? Of course my love for you is real. What must I do to prove it?" Riot asked, truly confused.

"You're not in love with the real me, you're in love with an illusion." Jem took a deep breath before continuing, "Riot, I'm really Jerrica Pacheco."

Riot burst out laughing. "You, Jerrica Pacheco? That's a good joke Jem, but seriously, you don't have to make up such a wild story to tell me you're still in love with Rio." he said grinning.

"I'm not joking Riot. I am Jerrica Pacheco." Jem reached up and touched one of her earrings, whispering so low Riot couldn't hear, "Show's over Synergy."

Riot's jaw dropped in disbelief. Jem really was Jerrica Pacheco! For once Riot of the Stingers was speechless. At first he was shocked, then furious! Riot stood and left Jerrica sitting on the bench alone, stalking of into the night. He resolved to tell the first reporter he saw of Jem's true identity, that would throw her life into a little chaos. He walked into the room where the party was being held and headed strait for the punch bowl.

A reporter snapped his picture and asked, "Hey Riot! How did your proposal to Jem go?"

"It didn't. She's…" Riot stopped short. Somehow, he just couldn't bring himself to reveal Jem's secret. Maybe he had really been in love with Jerrica after all or maybe it was just whatever shreds of human decency were left inside him, but whatever the reason, he knew he had to protect Jem's identity, so he said, "She's in love with someone else. Someone who's a good match for her. Not perfect, but a good match." Riot smirked. He wasn't used to being defeated and he'd never admit it, but he knew that Rio was indeed the perfect man for Jerrica and he could appreciate that.

Jem walked into the party and was promptly swarmed by reporters.

"Jem! Jem! Who's the lucky guy you're in love with?"

"Is there a wedding in your future?"

"Everyone please! Leave the poor woman in peace!" Roarin shouted. "Who she dates and who she marries is none of your business. What matters is her music."

The bands from Starlight Music left soon after that.

There were mixed feelings as the story of what happened with Riot was told. On the one hand there was concern that he might reveal Jem's identity, but on the other there was relief that he would no longer pursue her. Oh well, they'd just have to wait and see.

**Author's Note: This has turned out to be more of a series of continuing adventures than a single story so to speak. I will do my best to continue and resolve, but I might not succeed. This is the last of my stock pile of complete chapters so it will be awhile before my next post.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Married Lives of Jerrica Pacheco and Aja Phillips.

"Ugh! What a long day!" said Jerrica as she got ready for bed.

"You said it! How do you do it Jerrica? For four long years you've been CEO of Starlight Music and world famous rockstar Jem, all in addition to being a foster mother. How did you do it?" Rio asked as he got into bed.

"It wasn't easy, but I wasn't entirely alone and now I have you, so everything's right with the world." said Jerrica as she got in bed beside him.

The two love birds soon fell asleep, exhausted from the long day they'd had.

The next day there was the usual scramble to get ready for the day. Aja smiled as she walked down the hall and heard a couple of girls arguing over who would shower first. Ah, she'd miss this! But, Craig did feel underfoot here and they both wanted a place of their own. Aja walked into the kitchen and found Craig 'helping' Mrs. Bailey with breakfast. Aja couldn't help laughing at the sight of Craig in an apron. He turned around and smiled.

"Hey Aja! I'm actually trying to be useful around here. Whoa!" Craig was cut short by the frying pan bursting into flames.

He quickly dropped it in the sink and put the fire out.

"Oh Craig! Are you alright?" Aja and Mrs. Bailey exclaimed at once.

"I'm fine. Oh, let's face it, I'm useless around here." Craig said despondently.

"You're not useless Craig. You just don't know how to cook or take care of a houseful of girls very well." said Aja.

"Oh, thanks, that makes me feel much better." said Craig sarcastically. He smiled and laughed and said, "I know you're just trying to cheer me up Aja. Thanks." Craig hugged his wife and let Mrs. Bailey handle getting breakfast.

Erin walked in and helped with breakfast, while the other Firehearts got everyone out of bed and downstairs. Roarin and Ally were especially chipper this morning and were singing quite loudly. They were singing various worship songs and several of the girls joined in. This put everyone in a good mood as they gathered 'round the table. Everyone was seated and was silent while Rex prayed, then the meal began.

Aja and Craig had an announcement this morning.

"Everyone, Craig and I found a house." said Aja beaming with joy.

"Aja, that's great! When are you moving in?" asked Jerrica.

"Tomorrow. And one other thing, we're going to start a family!" said Aja.

"But that means you're leaving the Holograms." said Kimber looking disappointed.

"Actually, I'm going to try and stay, but I may have to leave." said Aja.

"Wow! Aja, this is all so, amazing! I'm really happy for you." said Shana.

"Ya know Aja, the Fireheart Family Movers are still in business if you want some help moving all your stuff." said Ryan.

"That would be wonderful Ryan. Thank you." said Aja smiling.

Aja and Craig moving out was a bitter-sweet occasion. Everyone would miss having them around 24/7, but at the same time it was somewhat of a relief. Also, their new house wasn't too far away, and they'd be over most days anyway, so it was almost like they weren't moving at all. But the fact remained they were, so everyone felt the sadness, but it soon cleared and everything went back to almost normal.

Stormer was thrilled that her brother and sister-in-law were moving into a house a few blocks down from her and that they were planning to start a family. She paced up and down the Gabor Mansion studio floor much to the annoyance of Roxy, who was trying to change the strings on her bass.

"Can't you keep still for five minutes Stormer? Your pacing's got me on edge and I can't focus on what I'm doin'." she said irritably.

"Sorry Roxy. I can't help it! I'm too excited!" said Stormer, continuing to pace.

"Well, can you at least go be excited somewhere else? I mean, I'm happy for you and Aja and Craig and all, but I really have to get this done before rehearsal or Pizzazz'll have my head." said Roxy, sticking the old strings in a bag to be thrown out.

"Ok, ok. I'll let you alone." said Stormer smiling as she headed outside to continue pacing on the back patio.

"Finally! I thought she'd wear a groove in the floor." said Roxy chuckling as she started restringing her bass.

During this time, Jerrica and Rio discussed maybe starting a family of their own.

"I don't know Rio, I just don't know. I really want to start a family, but there's the band and Aja's probably going to take maternity leave soon, plus there's the foster girls and, oh! I just feel so torn about it all!" Jerrica ran her hands through her hair.

"It's ok Jerrica. We can wait, there's no rush. We'll take our time and wait until the moment is right." said Rio hugging Jerrica.

Jerrica calmed down and felt peace wash over her again.

"You're right Rio. Thank you. I'm so glad God gave me you." she said hugging him back.

"Jerrica, Video's here and she wants to know when Jem's gonna get here." said Kimber walking into her sister's room.

"I'll be there in a minute Kimber. Duty calls. Showtime Synergy. I'll see you tonight Mr. Pacheco." said Jerrica romantically.

"I'll hold you to that Mrs. Pacheco." said Rio as he headed for the studio to start a training session with the new interns.

Jem walked into the living room to find Video pacing nervously.

"Hi Video! Everything alright? You seem nervous." said Jem.

"Oh! Hi Jem. I am nervous. I'm going to be trying out a new filming and editing technic and there's a lot that can go wrong if I don't do everything exactly right, so yeah, I'm nervous." said Video dropping into a chair with a tired sigh.

"Have you slept within the last 24 hours?" asked Jem.

"Are you kidding? Who could sleep at a time like this? I tried, believe me, but it was no use. I haven't slept since the night before last." said Video.

"Hey, you've got nothing to worry about Video. I told you I'd give you a hand with the new technic if you want and the offer still stands." said Roarin patting Video on the shoulder.

"Thanks Roarin, that means a lot. Now, as for the video concept; since this video's about starlight and moonlight, I was thinking about shooting a scene or two outside at night so we've got the natural lighting. Everything else will be done in the studio." Soon Video was in her element planning the video and explaining her concepts. "Hey, by the way, where's Jerrica? I was hoping to ask her if we could use the mansion for the outdoor scenes." she asked suddenly.

"I'm sure she'll have no problem with it, but I'll get her anyway." said Jem disappearing down the hall. "Show's over Synergy." she said. The pink light enveloped her and she was transformed from the rockstar Jem back to busy foster mom/business woman Jerrica. She cut through a few rooms to come from a different direction from when she left.

"Hi Video. I hear you wanted to ask me something?" said Jerrica as she entered the living room.

"Yes. I was thinking, the backyard of the mansion would be perfect for the outdoor scenes. Would it be ok if we filmed here?" Video asked.

"Of course Video. You don't have to ask." Jerrica smiled.

"I know. I just like to be sure it's not inconvenient for you. Anyway, where's Jem? We were gonna start rehearsals and it's kinda hard to do that without all the band members." said Video smiling.

"She went to 'powder her nose,' as the saying goes. I'm sure she'll be down any minute. Anyway, I've got some errands to run, but I'll be in my home office later trying to catch up on paperwork if you need me for anything." said Jerrica heading out the door. "Showtime Synergy." Jerrica was once again transformed into Jem and actually climbed up the lattice into an upstairs window. "The things I do to maintain my cover." she said as she brushed herself off and fixed her wardrobe and makeup. She then went down stairs and met the others.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: The last chapter was a bit rushed, mostly due to a broken laptop mouse and a case of writer's block. Hopefully this chapter will be better.**

Chapter 11: Family Problems.

"Hey! The new video is on!" Stormer announced as the Misfits gathered in the Gabor Mansion TV room.

"Wow! Video really outdid 'erself this time. The way she used that last shot of the sky… Just beautiful." said Jetta as it ended.

"Yeah. She's a real artist, but that girl could use a vacation. She looked uber-stressed last time I saw her." said Roxy.

"I wonder how they came up with that song. It sounds oddly familiar." Pizzazz closed her eyes, trying to remember where she had heard that tune or something like it before.

She started humming to herself, then singing softly, in a way that the others had never heard her sing before.

"_It is night now, the birds have, flown home to bed,  
And it's time for all children, to lay down their heads.  
Sleep now, my child, don't fear the night,  
For my love will protect you, 'til morning's first light._"

Tears were flowing down Pizzazz's face as she finished. "My mother used to sing that to me every night before I went to sleep. I miss her." she said by way of explanation.

Stormer pulled her into a hug and for once she didn't resist. In fact, Pizzazz actually returned the embrace.

"Thanks Stormer. Anyway, I'm tired. I'm goin' to bed." she said as she headed up the stairs.

The next morning however, Pizzazz was about to have some saddening news. Her father made an unexpected announcement that he was leaving on a long business trip and would be gone a few weeks.

"Three weeks! But, my birthday's next Saturday! You promised you'd spend at least that morning with me!" Pizzazz was more hurt than mad and her eyes clearly showed it.

Harvey Gabor couldn't even look his daughter in the face. "I'm sorry Phyllis. They changed the meetings on me. There's nothing I can do. I'll bring you back something nice for your birthday. I promise." he said in a futile attempt to smooth things over.

Pizzazz was infuriated at the mere mention of a gift. "Oh! Can't you get it through your thick, blockheaded skull that I don't want gifts or money?! Daddy, all I want is for you to spend time with me. We never know how much time we have with the ones we love." Pizzazz's voice was barely a whisper at the last sentence, but Harvey Gabor heard it and it cut him to the quick.

He turned to leave quickly, but was stopped by Pizzazz throwing her arms around him and giving him as hard of a bear hug as she could.

"I love you Daddy, even if you don't love me." she whispered in his ear.

"Phyllis, I have to go. I can't miss the flight." Mr. Gabor left his daughter standing alone in the kitchen.

Once he was gone Pizzazz ran to her room and locked herself in. She threw her head back and fairly howled her grief and anger at the ceiling. She sank to her knees and cried into her arms on her bed.

Roxy, Jetta, and Stormer all heard Pizzazz's howl of grief and rushed to her door. Upon finding it locked, they all feared the worst. However, once Pizzazz had subsided to crying, their fears were somewhat relieved, but they still feared Pizzazz may have hurt herself, so Stormer knocked on the door.

At first there was no reply, but Stormer knocked again more loudly and asked, "Pizzazz, are you ok?"

This time a muffled, but audible reply came, "I'm fine. I want to be alone."

"Ok. Call us if you need or want anything ok?" said Stormer.

"Ok." Pizzazz responded. "I'm alone. All alone and it hurts. But I can't face them right now, it hurts too much. Gosh! This has to be the worst heartache I've felt since Mom left." she said to herself.

Pizzazz turned on the radio and a Christian song came on. As she listened to the lyrics they reminded her of her Heavenly Father, who knew her every sorrow and would always love her and comfort her in her time of need. Pizzazz smiled as she lay back on her bed, closed her eyes, and just let the music take her to a place of peace and comfort.

Mr. Gabor however, was not having a pleasant time at all. He couldn't stop thinking about how disappointed Phyllis had looked and about her choice of words just before he left.

_'We never know how much time we have with the ones we love.'_

Those words tortured him, for he knew she feared that he would continue to be too busy to spend time with her until it was too late. That was his fear too. He loved his daughter, more than anything, he just didn't know how to show it. When his wife left him and Phyllis, and filed for divorce, he retreated even further into his work to avoid the pain and the fact that he just couldn't raise a child on his own. So, he replaced attention with gifts and affection with money 'til he didn't know how to show his sincere fatherly love for her anymore.

Harvey Gabor sighed. _'What's the use? It's too late. I'll never be able to tell my little girl I love her again.'_ he thought gloomily.

Down in the Gabor Mansion kitchen, Roxy, Stormer, and Jetta were debating on whether they should wait for Pizzazz to come down or go back up there and break down the door. Roxy was for breaking the door down and was getting the worst of the argument.

"I'm tellin' ya, we gotta do somethin'! I've seen Pizzazz enraged, happy, sad, and even drunk, but I have never ever seen her depressed before and I'll be darned if I'm just gonna sit here and let her do who-knows-what to herself!" Roxy exclaimed.

"Look 'ere ducky, I can appreciate you wantin' to 'elp Pizzazz; 'eck, I do meself, but that doesn't change the fact that all the doors in this place are solid oak. No way we're gettin' through that. No way, no 'ow." said Jetta.

"Yeah Roxy. We all want to help Pizzazz, but we can't just break through solid oak doors and even if we could, Pizzazz needs to grieve and come to terms with this in her own way. You know that better than anyone." said Stormer.

Roxy sighed, defeated. "Yeah, I know." she mumbled slumping back in her chair, arms crossed. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it." she said more loudly.

"Hey guys."

Everyone looked up in surprise as Pizzazz walked over to the table and sat down. She looked sad, but at peace, so her friends knew she was ok. There was a collective sigh of relief.

"Hey, what's all this? Don't tell me you guys have been holding your breath this whole time." said Pizzazz, a small grin tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Nah. We're just relieved to see you looking better than we expected." said Roxy.

Stormer gave her a kick in the ankle.

"Ow! What I mean to say is…"

"It's ok Roxy. I know what you meant. You never were very good at subtlety, but then again, Stormer's the only one of us who is." said Pizzazz with a chuckle. "In the meantime, let's get something to eat. I'm sure the three of you are at least as hungry as I am." she said, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"There's that nice little place on Brush Wood." suggested Stormer.

"Is that the one where they 'ave those really good biscuits?" asked Jetta.

"Yep." said Stormer.

"Then what are we waitin' for? Let's get goin'!" said Roxy grabbing the keys to Pizzazz's car and heading out the door.

Pizzazz smiled as she followed her friends, feeling better than she had in a long while.

_'Wherever you are Daddy, I love you and I'm gonna try to make our house a home.'_ she thought as she locked the front door.


End file.
